In Zack We Trust!
by A.D. Williams
Summary: Zack's biggest dream is to become a hero like his childhood idol. But when Sephiroth completely loses his mind and begins to have an identity crisis, Zack actually feels compelled to help the poor guy. Is there an easier answer than death and destruction?
1. Adventure is Out There!

I'm thrilled to be doing this story ^_^ After playing Crisis Core, it quickly became a not no but hell no that I was going to exclude Zack. So…he's my main character; Cloud, you've been demoted to a _supporting role. _Ha!

This will be something of a mix of Crisis Core and the original FFVII, featuring the main cast of both.

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><p><strong>Adventure is Out There!<strong>

Zack took a deep breath of air as he got off the train. Ahh, just smell it! The city! The lights! The sounds! A whole new world!

And in the next second he was hit with a blow of homesickness so hard it actually folded his body over, causing his shoulders to hunch inward and making him grab his chest as though a literal shot had been dealt to his heart. Oh god, what the _hell _had he been thinking!

_Yeah, that was smart, Zack! Hey mom, dad, I'm gonna join the army and earn fame and glory and honor! Just like the hero Sephiroth! Because those fucking army commercials just _had _to reel in my impressionable mind and now look, I'm hundreds of miles from home, not a single person here I know and absolutely little guarantee that I'll even become a first class SOLDIER!_

But Zack wasn't one to mope for long. In fact, exactly five seconds after these thoughts, he straightened up and stood proudly. It was a thing with him to allow his doubtful feelings to flow through for a moment lest they stay bottled up and fester into a devastating explosion later down the road. It was better to face them here at the start, than lock them away in the vault of his mind.

Midgar indeed was a majorly new experience from Gongaga and as he walked down the streets heading for the Shinra headquarters, he observed all that the city life had to offer. Restaurants…specifically fast-food ones. When was the last time he'd even _seen _a McDonalds's? Gongaga only had mom and pop stores…where he and everyone knew the owners on a first-name basis. And their children. And their grandchildren. And the nieces, nephews and cousins.

You get the picture. _Tiny. _

He saw a few casinos and gasped in excitement. Even if he was too young to go, at least he was in walking distance of one. And aww, look at how friendly the locals were! They greeted each other by hooking an arm around the throat…and pulling. Pulling a bit hard though, but maybe the harder it was, the more it meant they'd missed you? Oh, wait…were their eyes supposed to roll into the back of their head? And what about those punches to the gut, what did that mean? Hm…Zack wondered what a 'curb stomp' was that one of the guys said. Was it a dance? He wanted to learn it!

He came to a crossroad and read the address on a sign post. Loveless Avenue. He would've said it sounded extremely depressing except that it strangely looked to be the liveliest section of Midgar. Groups of people stood around although there seemed to be mainly female clusters. Perhaps a celebrity was in town? Heh, in due time, _he'd _be that celeb!

In passing the women, he caught snatches of their conversations. It seemed most were reverently discussing something. But a few of the groups were actually arguing amongst themselves. Well, Zack didn't exactly want to be nosey but…they _were _shouting at the top of their lungs. It seemed privacy was no issue here so he treated his ears to the dulcet sounds of female debating.

"Genesis is the best!" One woman screamed and behind her, a group of cohorts nodded vigorously. She seemed to be brandishing a book and now pointed to it. "LOVELESS is so beautiful and touching and Genesis _adores _the play! So soft and sensitive! He's the epitome of a perfect man!"

"Yeah, well I heard that Angeal never uses his sword to fight, preferring a less aggressive way to take down his opponents," a rival group of dedicated fans said. Everyone in the group had "I heart Angeal" shirts on, making them just a step up more rabid than the previous group. "And he's so full of such wisdom and purity; it's enough to make anyone's heart melt!"

"Both of you are wrong!" cried the scariest bunch of them all. Zack had no doubt what fanclub this was. These women were all in leather, an effeminate version of Sephiroth's black leather and cape outfit but only their leader clutched a replica of the famous sword Masamune. "Who is it that's practically leading this war to sure victory single-handedly? Sephiroth! And that indifferent demeanor, so strong and silent, and sexy! And he washes his hair with rose and vanilla shampoo and conditioner! And he likes to show off that beautiful chest…so tempting…so mouth-watering…" The woman paused to daydream a bit before all of the group members wiped away the drool from their mouths. "So that's why Sephiroth's better!"

"Nuh-uh!"

"Uh-huh!"

"Bring it on, Genesis groupie!"

"Angeal's the Anti-Christ!"

"I'll cut you for that, bitch!"

…Zack decided to flatten himself as much as possible against the storefronts in order to make his way past the brawl. Sadly, there was no other way to get around them as this was a one-way street. He hoped not to be noticed but maybe someone caught his reflection in a window and suddenly they all jerked up and came to a halt, frozen in time like meerkats scouting for predators.

"YOU!" All three clubs shouted upon spotting him. A thunderous stampede broke out and they all rushed for him, leaving him barricaded with nowhere to run.

"Join the Silver Elite Sephiroth club!" One woman said, shoving pamphlets directly in his face so hard, Zack was sure his nose had been broken by the force.

"NO! You have to be in the Genesis Study Group!" Someone else said, pushing fliers into his arms and even opened up the pack on his shoulder to put more in. "We're much better organized!"

"Angeal's Keepers of Honor, you need to become one of the Keepers of Honor!" a third person shrieked frantically as though this were truly a life or death matter. "We're the best organized and we have more money than the others!" Zack froze and blushed in embarrassment as the club leaflets were shoved directly into his pants hem, like money in a stripper's panties.

"Ladies, ladies! Okay, I'll join all of them, alright? So please…don't scrunch up your beautiful faces or ruin your gorgeous clothes by fighting amongst each other." It was the only way he could think of to get the women to calm down from a level ten froth fest to a manageable level four. They purred and giggled at his compliment, only now taking notice of 'what an attractive young man' he was.

The three club leaders respectively took down his phone number and email address to send him club information and blessedly allowed him to continue on his way, relatively unharmed and still in one piece. Note to self: Never again go down Loveless Avenue.

~.~.~.~.~

Upon reaching his room in the SOLDIER bunkers, Zack noticed his roomie was already there. The other guy was clearly a techie. On his side of the room was a standard issue desk but boasted a large computer monitor on top if it and a fancy keyboard that had to have cost 200 gil alone. The bed was littered with wires, CD's, SM cards and a bunch of stuff that he couldn't even make out. He felt as though he'd walked into the surveillance department for the FBI.

Zack sat his stuff down on the remaining bed and began the task of unpacking. He'd packed lightly (especially on clothes; no way in hell was he going to wear the hillbilly attire of frickin' _Gongaga _in a trendy city such as Midgar! Pfft, he wouldn't be caught dead—

Okay, so he couldn't help dragging along his favorite shirt sporting the logo of a local chocobo farm; it was always his dream to have one and the shirt reminded him of that promise so damned be any man, woman, or child that laughed at his beloved clothing item!

He sighed. Guess it was true, you could take the boy out of the country but you couldn't take the country out of the boy. He'd always have a certain pride for his roots.

Out of the bathroom came another boy that looked to be his age, if not a little younger and sporting a large pair of headphones and a small device tucked into his jeans pocket. On his head was a towel so he could dry off his dripping hair. He blinked at Zack. "Heya."

"Erm…hi?"

"…you didn't touch any of that stuff, did you?" The boy sized him up.

Zack could take down the scrawny guy if need be but he figured he'd hold his punches for now. "I don't even know what any of that stuff is," he said honestly.

"Good. Because I get a little extreme when people touch my _things_. It makes me go _crazy, _ya know? I start to feel the dark beast within me rising and I can't control him, he burns for the taste of flesh from a human sacrifice and I'm powerless to stop him unless I take my meds—"

Zack's eyes shot open wide and he actually scooted back away on his bed. How the fuck did someone like this get into SOLDIER!

"—By the light of the moon, he hunts for his prey, sucking dry the bones and savoring every drop of blood. And all because people touched my shit!"

"…um…good thing I didn't touch it then, right? Heh-heh…" Zack held his hands up in a classic "Please don't maim me!" gesture.

The guy leveled him with such a fierce, maniacal look that were this not real, he would've laughed. Oh god, he was about to be roommates with the devil's incarnation.

A few more intense seconds of staring passed by before the guy broke out into a huge goofy smile. "Naw, man, I'm just fuckin' with you!" he spluttered, punching Zack in the arm. "Name's Kunsel, how do you do?"

Zack's breath left him in a harsh gasp and he grabbed his chest. "Damnit, you about gave me a heart attack! I thought you were serious!"

Kunsel finished drying off his reddish-brown hair and tossed the towel across the chair to his desk. "Really? Hey, not bad then for my first attempt at acting! So, what's your name?"

"Zack," he said. "I'm from Gongaga. You?"

"Gonga-_what?_" Kunsel yelled, scooping his wires back into his carrying bag. "Man, that just sounds like it's in the middle of nowhere. I'm from Kalm…please tell me your little hick mind has heard of that."

"We have schools, you dummy!" Zack laughed, throwing his pillow at him. Kunsel caught it and flung it back at him. Putting the pillow back on the bed he said, "So. What the heck made you join the army? Kalm has options of careers, unlike my hometown."

Kunsel shrugged. "Fame, fortune and glory, right?" He turned his body away and continued to repack his equipment or at least separate it into manageable sections by placing them in the desk drawers. "It's practically why we all joined."

He was hiding something. "Well, yeah, it's why _I _joined. But you…don't seem like the army type." Zack tried to say that second part kindly. Kunsel had now put on a pair of oval-framed glasses and with his thin body, he looked anything other than a military guy.

Kunsel chuckled and stretched out on his cleared bed. "Alright, fine. Momma dearest doesn't seem to think me starting my own computer business is a worthwhile endeavor. Real men, according to her, join the army. My grandfather was in the army and after he came back, he actually wanted to get as far away from all things military as possible…so he and my grandmother moved from Junon to Kalm, settled down and had a family. My father became a SOLDIER though against both their wishes. He actually made first class but of course he wasn't as flashy as the first classes of today. But…he still fought in this war. And…ultimately died in it too."

He grew quiet for a moment, looking at the popcorned ceiling. "Mom sees it as my duty to take his place," he mumbled. "Not to mention, army pay is a guaranteed thing. Success is only limited to how much effort I put into it, unlike a company where you could bust your balls in investments and come an economic shift, you're down and out. I understand what she's saying, but…"

Zack nodded from his spot on the bed, having stopped unpacking to listen to him. "I understand. It's still not what you want to do."

Breaking the somber mood, Kunsel grinned. "Meh, it's not but hey, she's my mom. Don't think I could stand having her pissed at me for all eternity. Besides, there's other ways to get my tech fix and still make her happy too." He lifted up the headphones attached to the device he'd been wearing and grinned. Lowering his voice further, he asked in a sly voice, "Know what this thing is?"

"Better question, _do _I really want to know what that is?" Zack countered.

"I'd say you would," Kunsel replied, undaunted. "It's…a voice magnifier. Works up to fifty yards. Just stand in a spot and listen. It looks like a handheld music device so nobody knows what it really is upon just looking at it."

"You know what…I don't think I wanted to know that," the raven replied, shaking his head in disbelief. "Did you really bring spy gear into _Shinra?_ You're frickin' crazy! And…" Here he looked up at the corners of the room and lowered his voice self-consciously. "How do you know there aren't any cameras or mics in here?"

The other boy waved him off, that sly grin getting ever bigger. "Because I checked. They actually do respect the privacy of us within our rooms. It's the hallways and everywhere else that you have to be careful of. Trust, I did my research before coming here."

Zack could only blink at him in sheer amazement. The balls this boy had to pull something like this off! "And so _why _aren't you in the spy division? Seems like a waste of talent being in the combat field."

"You learn a little some of everything in SOLDIER," Kunsel replied. He sat up suddenly and plunked himself down in front of his computer. He typed for a second before pulling back to reveal the Shinra homepage. "Sure, there are specific departments for those that join. Some guys apply directly for the Science Department, or others for the Engineering Department…but being a SOLDIER makes you a bit well-rounded with all of that. The Science Department issues the mako that's infused in SOLDIERS. And naturally you're going to be expected to know how to operate at least the most basic of machinery. You get the best of all departments while only being in one."

"Uh-huh…and fighting?" Zack asked with a raised eyebrow. "If someone so much as blew on you, you'd tumble over!"

Another shrug. "I'll deal with that road when I get to it. Now come on, it's time to be social butterflies." Kunsel switched off the monitor and hopped up with a stretch.

"Wait, what? Meet and greet with everyone?" Zack frantically dug through his clothes to find something a little more decent to throw on.

"If you're one for wardrobe crisis's, just toss on the 3rd rank SOLDIER uniform," Kunsel suggested. "Most guys are probably gonna be wearing that for the orientation but I'm holding off for now, enjoying my last few moments of being a civilian."

Zack grinned and set aside his clothes. Fuck it, he'd go in what he was wearing anyways, simple jeans and a t-shirt. "Hate to break it to you, buddy, but you stopped being a civilian when you signed your name on that dotted line when you stepped into that recruitment tent. They own your ass now!"

"Oh nooes!" Kunsel cried dramatically and together they doubled over laughing while shuffling towards the door. "Do I need to get a tattoo on my rear that says 'property of Shinra'?"

"Sure! It'll make great for war stories to the grandkids." Zack locked the dorm room behind him and swung his key happily on his finger as they made their way to the auditorium. Already he had a friend under his belt and at least for now, the future looked bright.

_First class SOLDIER, here I come! _


	2. Unattainable Dreams

The gates of craziness have been opened...

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><p><strong>Unattainable Dreams Are The Best Kind<strong>

Not wanting to miss a thing, Zack dragged Kunsel down to the front of the auditorium and picked a seat directly in front of the speaking podium. He tried to keep his legs still but his nerves were on edge; how could he have almost forgotten that he'd be meeting _Sephiroth _here?

The room filled up with all the other newbies and as his friend had said, most indeed were wearing the blue outfit that marked them as Third Class. It was half pitiable to see, for it was such an evident display of how low on the totem pole they were but Zack had no intentions of staying there for long. He'd sign up for as many advanced missions as possible so that he could quickly prove his worth to everyone. And then, at long last, he too would be worshipped as a hero!

The room dimmed and the stage came to life as it in turn brightened. A man from the left wing stepped out into the light, sporting parted long blonde hair and a blue striped jacket. Pristine white gloves adorned his hands. He beamed happily at the crowd, waiting a few seconds for everyone to settle down before beginning.

"Welcome! I am Lazard Deusericus, Director of SOLDIER." A few impressed whispers were heard before fading away. "Today begins a new journey for each and every one of you. Your life will never be the same. It's up to you to make sure that it's a positive and bright future that you'll have. But naturally you knew that." He paused to straighten his glasses. "So, without further ado, let us welcome our speakers of the evening, our first class SOLDIERs!"

The room burst into deafening applause and if Zack clapped any harder his hands would fall off. This was too good to be true! Finally, the moment was here, what he'd envisioned for years!

On the stage stepped three people. The first man had dark hair and a squared jaw with an equally strong face. Of the three, he was the only one actually dressed like a SOLDIER. The second person after him had feathered red hair and covered his own black ensemble with a floor-length red trench coat. And the third person…was him.

The instant Sephiroth stepped on the stage, the crowd erupted into hysterics. Several members of the crowd simply shouted out praise but there were some fanatical fans who whipped out cameras to take pictures. Several shouts of "We love you, Sephiroth!" popped up and someone screamed above everyone else, "SIGN MY CHEST, SEPHIROTH! " as they ripped apart their shirt.

The man said nothing, wearing only the barest hint of a smile while politely waving. He paused for a second to reach down and pick one of the many roses off the floor that'd been thrown at him and clenched it between his teeth. The redhead standing on his left shook his head sadly while the dark-haired man threw back his head and laughed.

"Okay, okay, settle down gentlemen!" Director Lazard shouted above the noise. In anticipation to hear their favorite person speak, everyone quickly shut up. "Now, our first guest of the evening is helping to lead a major front on the war in Wutai and is going to be the primary instructor of most of you. I welcome to the stage Angeal Hewley!"

The applause this time was polite but severely watered from the reception Sephiroth got and Angeal called it. "That's it? Sephiroth gets flowers thrown at his feet and I get a lukewarm greeting? Now where's the justice in that?" He smiled at them to show that he was actually joking. Until that smile quickly faded.

"So, you think you're SOLDIERs, huh? HA! You might've made it in but you still have to earn that title! You wanna know what you really are?" He picked up a tiny remote on the podium and pointed it at a large screen that was behind him on the stage. The screen came on and went black with the word SOLDIER spelled across it in white letters, but it was an acronym. Zack's face fell as he read it.

"At this current stage you are a Stupid, Ordinary Loser with Diminutive Intelligence and also an Emasculate Reject! But hey, maybe, just maybe with enough work, you can become this!" He clicked another button and the degrading definition of SOLDIER from before was replaced with something a hell of a lot more glorious.

"When you become a First you are a Supreme Omniscient Legend with Divine Ingenuity whose Exceedingly Resplendent. And it took me forever to come up with those so you better like them!" The boys shrunk back from his fierce stare. "Ahh, we're going to have so much fun this year. Can't wait to see ya on the obstacle course!" With a nonchalant wave, he walked away to stand again next to his companions.

Nobody clapped or moved a muscle.

"Um, well, wasn't that…enlightening," The Director said, coming back up. "Our next speaker is also a very experienced veteran and a well-known devotee to the epic poem LOVELESS. Let's give a warm welcome to Genesis Rhapsodos."

The redhead stepped to the microphone and simply opened a white book in his hand. Zack recognized it as another copy of LOVELESS, the same as the woman from his fanclub was waving around. Genesis cleared his throat quietly before finding his place and reading.

"_And if the people fail to make/Worthwhile souls upon daybreak./Then let us all be damned to hell/The child heathens when angels fell./ The Goddess brings her gift to all/But will her children heed the call?/ Does she bring love or will we bleed/The tears of humanity suffering?"_

Genesis closed his book and gave a deep bow before turning on his heel and walking to stand beside the others once more.

Still, nobody moved.

"Wow…how…unusual," Lazard said into the microphone, struggling for compliments in the silence and confusion of the crowd. "But our last speaker is the legend himself. The one, the only…Sephiroth!"

His dramatic intro was poorly received by the audience. If the other two had been total bombs, what would Sephiroth have to say? He certainly wasn't known for his kindness.

And clearly not for his speeches either. The man tossed the rose from his mouth and blinked twice at those assembled. "I have nothing to say," he muttered into the microphone before walking away.

Lazard looked stricken. "Well…wasn't that brief. Ahem…these are our three First Class SOLDIERs and um…we hope that all of you will join them…eventually. Dismissed!" he finished hastily, knowing the evening was unsalvageable. To save himself face, he quickly ducked back behind the stage before he could be bombarded with questions.

Zack felt like a little kid who'd just been told that Santa Clause wasn't real. None of these men had anything inspiring to say…especially not his idol. How could they provide so little hope at such a crucial time of their lives? It was like they were hanging them out to dry and hoping they would fail.

But Zack's resolve didn't falter. In fact, if nothing else, it became stronger. Because failure was _not _an option.

~.~.~.~.~

"Did you see their faces? They looked like guppies!" Angeal laughed as he and his two friends headed back to their own quarters for the night. "Do you think we were perhaps a bit too hard on 'em?"

Genesis shrugged. "I only read my favorite passage of LOVELESS, I didn't do anything wrong."

"Yes, except for that passage happened to be about the pathetic inhabitants of Earth and how we're all going to hell," Sephiroth told him.

"That entire book is a total downer," Angeal scoffed, pointing an accusing finger at the book Genesis kept pressed to his chest as he walked. "I swear Edgar Allen Poe should've written it."

"It is not a 'downer', it's beautiful!" the redhead defended. "It's a tragic love story. You should read it sometime."

"That's alright, I'll pass. Besides, I'm about to start my own love story, if you know what I mean." Angeal winked at them.

Sephiroth and Genesis froze. "No. What do you mean?" Sephiroth asked.

Angeal smugly leaned against the wall next to the elevators of the building, pretending to be counting the ceiling tiles. "Oh, nothing…just that I have a little date tonight. Nothing major."

Genesis shoved his book in Sephiroth's chest with an _oomph _and stormed directly up to Angeal. "What do you mean nothing major? You never mentioned this to us! And we're supposed to be your best friends!"

"Yes, and we're also _guys_. I didn't think you'd care to know."

"Do we know her?" Sephiroth asked, rubbing his chest from where Genesis had shoved him.

"Maaaaybe!" Angeal teased.

"What department does she work in?"

"I'm not tellin'."

"Tell us!" Genesis shouted, getting directly in the man's face.

Angeal gave another hearty laugh and folded his arms. "Whoever even said that she works for Shinra? Could she not be a civilian?"

"Too late, your response to what department she works in already revealed that she's a Shinra employee," Sephiroth pointed out. "With that said, it lowers things considerably. You might as well tell us, you know we're going to find out sooner or later."

"Guess it's gonna be later then," Angeal replied. The elevator gave a _ding _as it reached their floor and before the others could react, he quickly slipped inside, his smirk the last thing they saw before the doors closed.

"TELL US!" Genesis pleaded again but all they got was his rumbling laughter as the elevator moved on.

"Well now. If that isn't interesting," Sephiroth mused to himself. He handed a now forlorn Genesis back his book and said, "I do believe I shall be turning in. Training the new recruits is going to take every ounce of my patience."

"…he…has a love life," Genesis whispered. "I can't believe this. And yet I'm still loveless!" he cried out. He ran into the next available elevator, sobbing in dramatic tears.

Sephiroth quirked an eyebrow at his disappearing figure and sighed. Why was he friends with these people again?

The elevator that Angeal had left in returned and he got on, hitting the button for his room's floor. He remembered Angeal's cocky assurance and Genesis' romance enthusiasm and smiled fondly. Why were they his friends…

_Because they always keep things interesting. _


	3. Trouble Comes in Threes

I know I'm updating this a tad fast but I'm eager to get to the goodies of this story. I just have a profound way of needing to do lots of backstory first, xD! We're getting there, folks, we're getting there. Read and enjoy!

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><p><strong>Trouble Comes in Threes<strong>

The next two years of Zack's life were the worst hell he'd ever been through and that's counting the embarrassing time in first grade when he wet himself and the teasing didn't stop until fourth grade.

The very first thing the new recruits were ordered to do was to make their way to the Shinra science lab for their mako injections. Zack looked around and noticed that most of the guys were terrified and trying their best not to show it. What changes would mako bring about? Would they continuously have to get shots? And then…there were those that were just plain afraid of needles in the first place.

When it was his turn, a nurse grabbed his arm, swabbed it, and before he could even protest, shoved the syringe in. The mako at first made him feel drowsy but a second later, he snapped upright as the full effects took hold. This extra energy was amazing! But the nurse couldn't care less for his enthusiasm. She chucked the used needle in the trash and shooed him off, calling out "Next!"

The injections also brought out the infamous Hojo, who'd coined the idea of infusing the SOLDIERs with mako to begin with. He stood to the side, gleefully wringing his hands and…muttering to himself. Why did all scientists talk to themselves?

Zack slowed his walking as he passed by to quirk an eyebrow at the man and Hojo only offered a cruel smile back. It was the look of a man smug about his achievements and relishing in everyone being as thrilled about them as he was.

That was the easy part. Even with the mako enhancement, Physical Training was grueling.

"Move your asses like your life depends on it!" Angeal screamed at them that first morning. And like some sort of war flick, it just _had _to rain that day as well. Zack was doing decent in the beginning, crawling through the mud under the barbed wire course but every few inches, something else would snag. Clothes, hair and skin were mercilessly plucked out in tiny chunks making him bite his lip to hold back his whimpers.

By the end of that week though, he'd actually learned to get through it with no more than two scratches. That is until…

"Oh, what, you thought that was it?" Angeal cackled gleefully as the boys crawled at a frenzied pace, some getting completely entangled in the wire. "There's _land mines _in there now! Better scurry fast 'cause if you hover over one too long, kablooie!"

Zack's frazzled mind wondered dimly where any of his fangirls got the notion that this was actually a _kind _man.

He was almost out of the mine-infested wire tube when he looked behind him and realized that Kunsel was one of the poor souls that'd gotten stuck. The kid was clearly on his last leg and his frantic struggling not only used up more energy but entangled him further. His being stuck held up the line of other boys crawling through. A small voice in Zack's head told him to keep going; he was almost there after all! But…that's not how anyone became a hero. So, here went his first rescue mission.

Scooting himself backwards, he kept going until his foot hit one of Kunsel's arms dangling in the air. It wasn't entangled in the actual nest of wiring but the fabric of his fatigues was snatched in the upper barbs. With no room to turn around, Zack was forced to try and reach behind him to pull the arm down but his hand fell several inches short.

"Zack…just go on without me…" Kunsel panted, shaking sweaty hair from his eyes.

"No! No child left behind!" Zack said furiously.

"…That's a school learning plan, dumbass," the other laughed, and then winced. "Go…leave me here…"

"Stop being so damn melodramatic! Now listen, what I need for you to do is to grab onto my belt when I raise it up to your stuck arm. Can you do that?"

Kunsel nodded, then realized Zack couldn't see it and said, "I'll try."

Zack gave a deep breath for what he was about to do and then…shoved his ass in the air.

The lack of movement behind him clearly showed that Kunsel wasn't so enthusiastic about the idea anymore. "Zack…?"

"Grab onto a belt loop or something! I'll pull you out by crawling forward again. You think I enjoy this?" It was a good thing his back was turned and that his face was so dirty because Zack was sure this was the hardest he'd ever blushed in his entire life.

Kunsel gulped but did as he said, grabbing his belt with the fingertips that could reach. Feeling he'd latched on, Zack pulled his and Kunsel's weight forward and with a few loud rips and some louder screams from his friend, his easiest arm was free. Moving in a hurry, the boy freed the other arm and with cheers from all that were held up, they began crawling out.

That is until an explosion went off right in Zack's face.

"AAHHGH!" he screamed and rolled around in agony.

"Ten points off, Fair!" Angeal yelled at him. "That's only a flash mine but were that real, you'd need a face transplant. Now keep moving!"

Zack didn't correct him that were this real, he wouldn't be in any condition to keep moving anyways. Blinking away yellow and green orbs in his vision, he kept crawling and was relieved when his elbows hit the sanctity of grass instead of the sloppy mud. He popped to his feet in joy only to crumble to his knees and vomit on the ground from dizziness.

As he was wiping his mouth, a dark shadow was cast over him before he felt a rough hand on his shoulder. "Atta boy, there Zack, atta boy," Angeal murmured before lending a hand to help the other trainees stand up.

From that day on, Zack noticed something had changed. He felt the need to actually make him proud and, recognizing that the boy had potential, Angeal wasted no time in pushing him to the brink of his limits. As for how he treated the others, he still kicked their asses in class but began to offer words of encouragement in the locker rooms, which earned Zack's respect even further.

He wished he could say the same about Genesis.

"_The barren ground where men have died/ those who failed to find the Gift_

_Dust quenched from the tears they cried/ The light of hope now set adrift."_

These words came as the boys ran at top notch speeds on treadmills, their mako energy having long dwindled for the time being. Zack had lost count of time. All his brain soaked in was the painful pounding of his heart and the dreaded words of LOVELESS, Genesis clueless to the suffering of his students.

A few treadmills down, a boy tripped on his shoelaces and went sprawling to the ground. Instead of laughing, the other boys gave cries of agony and pleaded with their eyes for Genesis to look up and end this torture. It was cruel and unusual punishment!

Genesis indeed did lower his book for a moment and his pale blue eyes trailed down the line of runners until they came upon the crumpled heap of the fallen kid. He closed the book with a smile that made everyone's blood run cold, then gracefully stood up. His strut radiated mirth as he made his way over to the ball of limbs and took another seat in a chair close by. He leaned down and simply opened back up the book before…quoting the poem even louder! He made sure to lean over into the boy's ear, enunciating every word perfectly and even began to repeat the lines.

The kid dissolved into sobs.

Thankfully, the bell rang not too long afterwards and as though hit with a sudden wave of energy, the boy immediately sprung to his feet and made a mad dash through the door. Everyone else followed his example, wobbling after him as fast as their exhausted legs could carry them.

Zack breathed a sigh of relief now that the class was done and looked down at his academy schedule. Being a minor, he was still forced to partake in regular academic classes in order to receive his high school diploma but lectures sounded like heaven compared to his first two classes. He hit the showers quickly and made it in time to find a decent seat before the bell rang.

He was idly flipping through his text book when the door opened up and a silence descended upon them. Black boots clicked on the tiles which were attached to leather clad legs which were part of a tight, black ensemble and all of it…was draped in red.

Genesis quietly set the ever-present white volume down on his desk before giving his class another smile that drowned them in evil ecstasy. "Hello there, and welcome to English 101."

Zack frantically dug back out his schedule and noticed way too late that the instructor name listed for his second and third periods was indeed the one and only G. Rhapsodos. He slowly put the paper away as he felt himself completely die inside.

Two back to back hours of LOVELESS being quoted was enough to make the sanest of men lose it and Zack wasn't the first one to dash quickly to the Admission building to have his class changed. In fact, there was a _very _long line and all of them were there for that very same reason. Eventually, the academy headmaster came out of his office to address the crowd.

"Boys, boys! All of you cannot possibly be telling me that it's truly unbearable to have Genesis Rhapsodos as your teacher! Now as a First, you should be happy he's taken time out of his day to teach not one but two classes and we're very lucky to have him! All of you go back to your dorms immediately! Ungrateful little ingrates," he muttered as he entered his office again.

And that was that. Zack was stuck with double Genesis.

The next few classes on his schedule weren't anything important, more basic academic classes. His day finished off with a swordsmanship class taught by…he sighed. Should he really have been surprised?

Sephiroth had gotten permission to use the holographic training room usually reserved for the higher ranking SOLDIERS. When they entered, he was standing in the middle of the room with Masamune drawn, looking bored and maybe a hint tired. Zack wondered how many classes he taught. Somehow, teaching just didn't seem to really suit him, although as a major Shinra icon, that respect alone made others want to do everything he said. Without trying to be, Sephiroth was a natural born coach.

Inside the room was a long rack of hooks and hanging off of them were several dozens of standard-issue Shinra swords. Without even being told to get one, Zack walked along the row until he found one that wasn't dull and didn't have a wobbly blade. He grabbed it and tested its weight. Heavy enough to do damage, light enough to not be too much trouble.

"Fair!" Sephiroth called, causing Zack to jump a foot in the air and subsequently drop the sword.

"Yessir?" he squeaked.

"I see you've picked yourself out a weapon already," Sephiroth said conversationally, as though they were only discussing the weather.

The other boys, thinking they understood what the instructor was getting at, rushed over to the wall and began to snatch swords up as well. Zack held a snicker as he saw Kunsel try to lift his and give a pathetic grunt of effort, his twiggy arms unable to bear the weight.

"Hold it," Sephiroth called, lifting a finger into the air. "Did I tell any of you to grab a sword?"

The boys froze, then tried to quickly hang them back up again and undo their error.

"You have them now!" Sephiroth exploded, his grumbling voice bouncing off the walls of the small room and magnifying it. "Didn't tell you to grab one and yet you did! Too late to try to put them up and yet you do! Acting without listening to the commanding officer will get you _killed _in battle! Ten points, Fair and five for the rest of you for following his poor example!"

Oh, Zack felt low. If given a shovel, he would've gladly dug himself a hole as deep as hell itself and hid himself away forever.

As that wasn't an option, he was forced to stay and practice a few basic offensive and defensive gestures with their swords before being paired up to enact what they'd learned. Two boys at a time would take to the simulation room while the others waited outside and watched through the windows.

"Since you were so eager to be first, Fair, how about you and…Luxiere fight." Sephiroth pinpointed where they were to stand and handed them the simulation helmets. Then he called out to the room at large, "Initiate battle sequence, Wutai jungle."

The noises from the other boys was silenced in the room but Zack gasped in amazement as suddenly they were transported to a forested land, complete with humidity and the cawing of tropical birds. And…was that seriously a lion's roar in the distance?

Consider his mind blown.

He began to size up the other boy and was happy that he wasn't anything too special. A little shorter than himself but still with the same build. Good, a challenge!

Sephiroth had faded into the dense trees and from deep in the darkness his voice called out "Battle positions! Ready…Go!"

Zack leapt into the air but his arms and legs immediately began to flail. Holy shit, he just jumped fifty feet! He looked down and saw that Luxiere's eyes had become wide light-blue orbs as he stared in amazement. But in the next instant, the other boy leapt up too and thus the battle commenced.

They each got off a few hits but mainly the fight consisted of extraordinary twists and turns, back flips, cartwheels and testing the limits of how long they could stay airborne. Not meaning to, the both had begun to giggle and show off, completely forgetting the fight.

Just as they were about to do a synchronized leap-twirl-pirouette sort of move, Sephiroth appeared and grabbed each of them harshly by the back of their necks. "If I wanted a circus performance, I would've asked for one. Hurry up and end this!" As he drifted down, they heard him mutter to himself, "I don't even like the circus!"

Now that they'd gotten their fun out of the way, it was time to get down to business! They each began to fight with all they had and it honestly could've been anyone's battle…were it not for the fact that Luxiere was actually terrified of fighting. His earlier hits were lucky flukes. So Zack felt completely terrible when his sword cut him down at the knees, causing him to slide to a bloody mess to the ground.

"FINISH HIM!" Sephiroth boomed from the depths of the jungle. Zack reluctantly raised his sword and…brought it down on his opponent's skull.

Out of nowhere, a computerized voice called "Headshot, fifty points!"

The simulation faded and he was left standing back in the blue tiled room he'd originally walked into. Luxiere was panting on the floor but was otherwise alright. He stood up slowly, making sure his head wasn't leaking his brains out and that his knees indeed were still connected before beaming at Zack.

"That was amazing! _You're _amazing! How awesome of a kill! You're really gonna go far, Zack! I'm following you till the end!" he gushed, his eyes filling up with fanboy adoration.

"Um…thanks? I guess…" Zack mumbled.

"One win for Fair," Sephiroth said, appearing once again. "Low blows are a little cheap but that indeed was impressive." Coming from the greatest man on Earth, that meant the world to Zack.

With a small class size, everyone was given a turn to be paired up and fight and the others were revitalized in their own skills by Zack's performance. Before the day was out, he'd gained a small fan group. And he was still a Third Class!

Dinner was wolfed down tastelessly before he dragged his exhausted body back to his dorm room. Zack's shower consisted more of him just leaning on the shower wall than actually lifting his arms to scrub. The day had kicked his ass both mentally and physically.

He dragged himself out of the bathroom to let Kunsel shower but his friend didn't seem to have it in him to even get up. "I don't want to hear your gloating but you were right. I should've signed up for the Spy and Infiltration Department; this was pure murder!"

Zack couldn't help himself. "I told you—"

"Shut it! I know already!" Kunsel rolled over, shutting him out with a pillow on his head.

Too tired to joke anymore, Zack flicked the room light off and fell into the arms of slumber.

~.~.~.~.~

"You know, I think I'm really going to enjoy teaching," Genesis smiled, sipping some beverage in a martini glass. He plucked the cherry out and chewed on it thoughtfully. "Never knew it would suit me."

"I have a promising pupil," Angeal noted, sipping his own drink from the bar inside the Shinra headquarters. "Not one to fold and quit, got a nice brave streak in him that I can build on. I think we have our next First."

"Hm…was his name Zack Fair?" Sephiroth asked, not drinking but actually scribbling on a napkin what childishly appeared to be stars, moons, the Shinra logo and…breasts. "Had him in my class. Actually performed a fantastic fatality."

The other two paused and stared.

"What? The kid was fine," Sephiroth shrugged. "Lost his legs, got a gaping head wound, lots of blood everywhere—"

"Okay, okay, I'm eating here!" Genesis interrupted him, turning green with a hand over his stomach.

"—But it was all fake anyways so…he's alive," Sephiroth finished lamely.

"Yes, his name was Zack," Angeal picked up, sidestepping the gory part of the conversation. "So we're all in agreement that Fair is promising?" He finished the rest of his drink, sighing heavily as he set it down. "I can only hope there'll be more. This Wutai war isn't getting any easier and with Shinra getting more desperate, they're sending out more and more SOLDIERs. I doubt it'll get to a point where they start to send out the babes but in the small event that they do, it'd be comforting to know that some of them could actually help inspire and lead the others. Lack of team morale leads to failed missions."

Genesis snorted, then began to cough from his drink getting caught in his throat. He gasped out, "Hey, Shinra cheerleaders! Yes, that's what we need! All young and bouncy with those short skirts, out there cheering the guys on. Now wouldn't that be fabulous?"

A visible shudder ran down Sephiroth's spine before he coughed "Says the gay guy."

The redhead spluttered in extreme surprise, as though he were truly offended. "I am not!"

It was now his turn to be stared at.

He was undaunted. "I'm metrosexual," he huffed, flipping his hair back.

"Mm-hmm," both Sephiroth and Angeal hummed.

"Ah, you two are unbelievable!" Genesis shouted, violently tipping the rest of his drink back. The bartender stared at it for a moment, ensuring that Genesis wasn't going to order another one…as he'd had at least six already. Genesis stormed off in a flurry of red, trying his best to walk with grace despite the fact that he was clearly drunk. His hiccup drifted back to them as he rounded the corner.

Angeal and Sephiroth met each other's eyes briefly before finally losing control and falling over in a fit of giggles.

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><p>Remember, two years have now gone by despite Zack only describing predominantly the first day of training. Albeit one helluva day…<p> 


	4. In the Air of the Night

A little more randomness for ya ^_^

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><p><strong>In the Air of the Night<strong>

Zack stepped in front of his closet mirror to examine himself. His old light blue SOLDIER outfit had finally been traded out for what should've been the maroon color of a Second Class but…he hoped nobody would take offense to him altering the color a bit. Well, more than a bit. Instead of red, he dyed his clothes dark blue. He had thought he looked odd in the original color and sure enough, Kunsel's snorts of laughter completely convinced him that maroon was never to be worn by him. Duly noted.

"Lazard's gonna kick your ass if he sees you in that," his roomie said. Kunsel too had upgraded, much to everyone's amazement. Zack didn't want to be mean but seriously, Kunsel _sucked. _At everything! If it didn't have to do with book smarts, Kunsel was at the bottom of the roster. So it was shocking that at their high school graduation ceremony, he too was promoted along with Zack and any other SOLDIERS moving up in rank.

If Kunsel's screams of joy when he received his Second Class clothes were anything to go by, it would seem he too was shocked that he'd been given any recognition.

"If nothing else, this makes me distinguished," Zack answered his previous statement. "Besides, have you looked at Genesis' and Sephiroth's clothes? It doesn't get any further from regulation than that!"

"Yeah, speaking of them…aren't you supposed to be meeting Angeal about now?" Kunsel asked, flipping his wristwatch around to check the time. "Man, you lucky bastard. How'd you get one on one training? What makes you so special?"

Zack paused, then sniffed the air. "Hm, I smell a hater! It's okay Kunsel, when you're as awesome as me, doors just automatically open up for you!" He gave his hair one final pull into a spike, and turned around, beaming. "And it's not training today; it's a mission! It's official, I'm goin' to Wutai, oh yeah!"

Kunsel looked nonplussed, pulling a magazine out from between his mattress and settling back. "Great way to make an impression on your first mission as a Second; you were supposed to be there half an hour ago."

Zack checked the time himself and squealed. "Damnit, why didn't you warn me?" He grabbed his sword from beside the door and fled without waiting for an answer.

Kunsel sighed to himself, quietly flipping a page. "Three…two…one."

"Forgot my pack!" Zack gasped, coming back to snatch his supplies kit off of his bed and ran back out again. Kunsel could only smile to himself.

~.~.~

"So, what's our mission in Wutai?" Zack asked, jogging to keep up with his mentor.

"In short, kill everyone in sight," Angeal shrugged. He didn't miss the choked, half-effeminate scream Zack made and grinned. "Kidding! But seriously…you're gonna be killing a few people. There's sort of no way to avoid that."

"Don't we have, like, reinforcements or something? Or is it just us two?"

"B unit will set off an explosion. That'll be our cue to act. You'll run around like a chocobo with its head cut off and create a diversion and the big boys will do the rest."

Zack paused, pouting. "No fair! I can totally be more useful than being a decoy—"

"Wanna hear a long and pointless story about my childhood?" Angeal cut him off,

"No, not really—"

"Too late, gotta hear it!" Angeal broke in and Zack was forced to listen to the story about the origin of dumbapples. By the time he finished, they'd reached their location and Zack was completely confused.

"You're right, that was pretty pointless," Zack muttered. "How does a village even make a profit off of produce that decides on its own when it'll grow? This also environmentally makes no sense! So it can grow in the winter too? How come we're not studying this so we can engineer other things to grow at all times of the year?"

"You're starting to sound like Hojo and that's disturbing," Angeal shuddered. He crouched down behind a cluster of bushes and pulled Zack down with him. "Lazard's here to observe your work to help determine if you'll be First material. Don't blow it."

"Me? Nah, never that! Wutai won't know what hit 'em when I get done. Er…hey, Angeal? Doesn't this seem a bit familiar?" the boy tilted his head, scratching his hair. "Like another war fought in a jungle some forty-odd years ago…? You know, all the hippies protested it? Helped kick off a little something called Woodstock?"

"Zack, this is nothing like Vietnam. Wutai started this. Because we all know that come hell or high water, Shinra is _always _right."

Zack was unable to voice his own feelings of uneasiness from that statement due to the explosion that was set off within the Wutai base. It was go time! Angeal gave him a reassuring nod before slipping off into the darkness of the night to do whatever the 'big boys' were doing.

"Second Class Zack about to kick ass!" he shouted out, leaping into the air and landing easily over the entrance gates. The Wutai soldiers attacked, yelling threats of torture and pain.

"You will not defeat us!" One man yelled, his mouth moving still long after he was done talking.

"Oh, come on, now that's just wrong!" Zack shook his head. Cracking his knuckles, his two years of hand to hand combat made short work of their life-long practices of martial arts. They dramatically dropped their weapons and clutched their chests, falling on their sides. Charged with mako, he felt invincible.

He ran further into the fort and ripped off his shirt. "Oh no, my young, supple body is all exposed!"

The Wutai warriors made a noise of astonishment fit for the enemies of Metal Gear…complete with exclamation points above their heads. "Hey, that man is indecently exposed! Kill him!"

But a few minutes later, they too were lying on the ground. "Seriously though, this is too easy," Zack sighed. "Can anybody offer me a challenge?"

"I can!"

Zack looked around for the voice and at first didn't see anything. "Huh. Must've gotten second thoughts about messin' with me."

"Down here!" the other person huffed and when he looked, it appeared some random little kid was calling him out. "I challenge you to a duel!"

"You should go home, it's not safe out here." Really, where the hell were this kid's parents? There's a _war _going on!

She was undaunted by his warning though. "I'm Yuffie and by the light of the moon, I shall punish you!" She ran up to him and began to do what might've been punching but her fists didn't even make contact.

Zack pinched the bridge of his nose. He had a mission to do and this little brat wasn't making things any easier. Having enough, he reached down and picked her up by the back of her clothing, turned her around, and gave her a boot in the hind quarters. "Go!"

She indeed did run off and the last thing he heard as she disappeared was, "I'm telling on you, you big meanieface!"

"Well, now that I'm certain I'll never see her again, let's get down to business." And he took off to finish his assignment.

The rest needn't be dragged out. Upon reaching Wutai's 'anit-Shinra monster', he had to have his bacon saved by Angeal. Meaning Lazard saw that. Which made him look utterly pathetic. When they met with the Director afterwards, he could only hope it wouldn't be enough to cost him the promotion.

"Very well, Zack. I'm impressed. Not only did you go above and beyond the call of duty, you even kicked a little kid's ass. Literally! That's what we like to see, oppressing the weak to make us look strong. Keep it up, and the day of being a First isn't very far off."

"Um…thanks?" What the heck do you say to that?

"Well then, let us get back to headquarters. With this, the war in Wutai is officially over." Lazard had begun to lead them back to the helicopter when a few Wutai remnants sprung from the woods and blocked their path. "Guess I spoke too soon," he muttered.

"Zack, take the Director and go! This is a job for a real man," Angeal instructed.

"Would you stop belittling me?" Zack whined.

"Can we _please _go? This jacket is Armani and I don't want to ruin it!" the blonde insisted.

Zack groaned and grabbed the pretty-boy's arm, dragging him past the warriors until they'd nearly reached the helicopter. Ahead were a group of Third Class lackeys and none too gently, Zack pushed the Director toward them. "It's ten yards to the helicopter. You can get there without getting a scratch on your beloved suit, can't you?"

"…Fair, your promotion is in my hands. I'd watch it if I were you."

Oh, now he wanted to be professional! "Whatever. I'm going back to help Angeal!" He didn't wait for the Director's response before turning around and running back the way he came.

Except when he reached the previous spot, Angeal wasn't there. Kneeling beside the fallen forms of the two people that'd attacked them was none other than the great hero himself, Sephiroth.

"And when did you get here?" Zack called as he approached. "You're late, the war's already over!"

Sephiroth peeked over his shoulder at him and groaned. "For your information, I was part of B unit. You know, the ones that set off the cool explosives while you gave the enemies a strip-tease?" he added, relishing in the mortified look on Zack's face.

To hide his embarrassment and to look useful, the boy came forward to get a better look at the two on the ground. Both had their helmets removed, revealing two figures who looked extremely like—

"Genesis! And…he had a twin brother?"

"No, numbskull, Genesis was an only child. As everyone here just so happens to be," Sephiroth told him. "These are copies of Genesis. I see it's finally happened…"

"What's finally happened?"

"Genesis deserted SOLDIER a month ago. With him, he took a large number of Firsts and Seconds as well. All of them were followers of LOVELESS. He's turning them into copies with his image so that they too may preach the gospel of LOVELESS to the entire world."

Zack paused. "Is this seriously about to be the plot of this story?"

"What?"

"Nothing. So, where did Angeal go?"

"He's been captured by the occult and no doubt Genesis is brainwashing him as well."

Now Zack could only sigh. "You're serious about this, aren't you?"

"Very. There's nothing we can do now though until we have more information. Let's get going. It's meatloaf night in the cafeteria and I don't want to miss it."

Oh yes, because that's certainly more important than looking for your two best friends, the teen scoffed but only quietly followed after him.

* * *

><p>I think I took a little more liberty with breaking the fourth wall with this chapter, lol.<p> 


	5. Someone Needs a Hug

I seriously had way too much fun writing this chapter (hence it's length) xD! I was going to wait and upload this on my upcoming birthday but I've never been a patient puppy when it comes to having finished a new chapter. Beside, my b-day present is my new job, lol, so I'll gift this to you guys early ^_^

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><p><strong>Someone Needs A Hug…<strong>

As things would have it, the war in Wutai finally ended and everyone at SOLDIER rejoiced. Zack, on the other hand, looked down at his cell phone in miffed (and pissed!) silence.

Sent out as a text, the entire praise for ending the war went to Sephiroth and Sephiroth alone. Not a single word about the others who helped, lost their lives or even ran around shirtless to draw the enemies attention, no, all of it had to go to General Sephiroth. To top that off, the man had insisted that his beloved bff and mentor had completely deserted Shinra. The name Sephiroth left a bad taste in his mouth all around.

Just then, his cell went off, chirping a tune about 'big booty bitches', earning him more than a few stares from the rest of the SOLDIERs. He covered the speaker in embarrassment and scuttled down the hall to a more private location.

"Second Class SOLDIER, Zack Fair?" Someone unknown asked.

"May I ask who's speaking?" Zack asked.

"Briefing room. Now."

"But wait, who the hell are—"

_Click._

"Oh, don't think I will not star 69 your ass!" Zack growled, getting ready to punch in the code to reveal the number of the previous caller to give them a, erm, very _colorful _diatribe but then thought better of it. Besides, he happened to be standing next to the briefing room anyway, might as well go in and just see the caller in person.

Inside, Lazard was sitting in his usual seat, pristine gloved hands clasped in front of him. Standing close by was clearly a Turk who surveyed Zack quickly in boredom before sighing and checking his watch.

"I'm gonna assume it was you who called me," Zack said, still fuming.

"Yes. I am Tseng of the Turks. You and I are to go on our next mission together."

Zack blinked. "Whoa, what's with your dry voice actor?"

"Oh, I have a voice _talker. _Not the same thing."

"Ahh," Zack nodded.

"Gentlemen, if you would focus on _me _for a second," Lazard said, sounding like a petulant child. Once they had done so, he continued. "An informant has given us a small and possibly incorrect lead that Genesis might've set up a base in his hometown of Banora. So, we're going to waste the company's money and ship you two there to check it out. It's Shinra, it won't be missed. Have fun!" he finished, waving them off with a cheerful smile.

Six hours later, he was standing in the midst of Banora. Naturally, Zack had more questions but it seemed Abrupt had become some sort of disease and everyone was spreading it around. So, with hardly anything to go on, there he stood, looking quite befuddled.

Tseng, on the other hand, was already surveying the land, going down a mental checklist. "First things first, let's check out Genesis' home. It might hold some clues as to what he's been planning."

The landscape began as rolling hills that turned into small dirt roads that led off to the various farms and small houses. Cresting a hill, they came upon a house much larger than all the others, marked by a tree that instead of growing straight up, had slumped over to the side as though too tired or lazy to be bothered with growing correctly. Zack looked closer at the tree and noticed that it was covered with purplish-gray fruit.

"What were these called again…retarded apples?" he muttered.

_You can't say retarded, Zack, _Angeal's voice came to him in his subconscious. _They're_ _dumbapples. Or mentally-challenged apples. We must always be politically correct._

Thank you, Confucius, Zack replied to himself, running to catch up to Tseng who'd walked further ahead of him. The Turk had stopped in front of a mound of freshly turned dirt.

"Someone was recently buried here," he announced. "Because I have a slight case of necrophilia, I'll go ahead and dig it up. You can check Angeal's house for any clues on his whereabouts."

"Wait, question. When all things die, they return to the Lifestream. Why would anyone ever even need a grave?"

"Shh, you're going to ruin a major plot device!" Tseng warned, looking around fearfully as though they'd been overheard.

Zack slowly backed away from him. "O-kay then…I'm gonna…just get going." He followed the path past Genesis' mansion (because that's how Genesis rolls) and into the heart of the village. The homes here could be better described as shacks than houses. He knocked on several doors before he realized the town was empty and simply began kicking doors open to check the insides, hoping to stumble across anything that'd look like it belonged to Angeal.

He was so caught up with doing forced entries that he didn't even think twice about kicking the door of Angeal's house down. He pulled a grenade off his belt, ripping the pin out with his teeth but stopped when he saw the frightened old woman at the kitchen table, freezing in the middle of peeling potatoes.

"Er…hi! Just um…running some drills!" He casually tossed the grenade over his shoulder where it exploded in a violent burst. Zack kept up the giant smile, not even flinching.

The woman observed him warily for a moment longer before finally settling back down. "I thought you were Genesis returning," she said quietly, continuing her peeling.

Since Zack had taken the care to kick down her front door, he stepped in further and leaned what was left of it against the doorway. He tried to be as nonchalant about it as possible although there really _is _no way to be nonchalant about kicking down someone's door. "Oh? So Genesis was here?"

She nodded, slowing down her work. "Yes. He came back with a bunch of SOLDIERs, his godforsaken Literate Union as he called them. They began to kill all of the townspeople, saying it was in the name of LOVELESS. Only I was spared because I'm his best friend's mother. But now I'm just a lonely old woman, no one to talk to. Getting on in my years and nobody to care for me. Probably going to start collecting stray cats soon and naming them things like Mr. Fluffybottom—"

"Yeah, that's real sad and all, but hey, have you seen Angeal lately?" Zack interrupted.

The woman paused for a moment, then looked at him a little closer. "Would you happen to be…Zack the Bitch?"

"_What? _No! Sure it wasn't puppy?" Zack asked.

"No…quite sure he didn't say puppy. 'Submissive to orders, does everything I tell him to like a little bitch.'"

_Thanks, Angeal. _"Well ma'am, regardless of what he said, I'm Zack Fair, SOLDIER extraordinaire! And I'm here to rescue you."

She shook her head. "Save me from what? Genesis will not harm me. And there's nowhere for me to go. I shall stay right here. You're welcome to stay for dinner if you'd like."

Zack peeked at the window behind him, casting an eye out in the general direction that Tseng was at. He should invite Tseng inside too—nah! The man was busy, no sense in pulling him away from his work.

While Gillian (she introduced herself as) began to cook, Zack looked around the tiny home. Angeal bragged about being frugal but the place was more than frugal; if it wasn't a bare essential, it wasn't in the home. The biggest decorations that could be seen were the pictures that had been set up on a table in the corner.

The first picture was of a younger Gillian holding baby Angeal, chubby face smiling widely and his arms extending forward toward something not shown in the picture. Probably a toy the photographer used to get him to giggle. The next picture captured him at perhaps the age of ten standing next to someone who could only be Genesis. They had their arms around each other's shoulders, Angeal looking happily relaxed and Genesis…kissing his cheek. Zack wouldn't ask.

The next few pictures were during Angeal's adolescent years. Angeal posing with the Buster Sword when he joined SOLDIER. Another after he graduated the academy. This one also featured Genesis and additionally, teenage Sephiroth. They were all stupidly doing bunny ears to each other and Sephiroth had on a smile that you wouldn't catch him dead with today. The last one was of the current Angeal, a simple headshot from that year's ID picture and blown up to an 8x11. Seeing those familiar kind eyes and relaxed face made Zack's heart hurt.

"Mrs. Hewley," he said respectfully, feeling much younger than his eighteen years, "How did Genesis and Angeal meet? And do you know how they met Sephiroth?"

She stirred a pot, a wistful smiles creasing her lips. "Ah, yes…back when my joints didn't hurt me so much, I and Angeal's father used to work on the Rhapsodos farm as hired hands, sparing us from paying the rent in cash. One day, little Genesis came down from their hill and saw Angeal playing outside our home. We wanted him to enjoy his childhood and wouldn't dream of drafting him to work beside us."

"Well, Genesis didn't understand that and immediately demanded 'Why aren't you working my fields too?' Angeal replied, 'I'm not your servant' to which Genesis actually scoffed at and said 'Everyone else is!' Angeal told him, 'Well I'm not everyone' and to this, Genesis said, 'You have balls, kid, I like you.' And the rest is history."

It would've taken forever for Zack to properly categorize the thoughts running through his head from the story but the gist of it was _Genesis is a bastard! _

As though to counter this, Gillian sighed sadly and said, "Genesis used to be such a good boy…"

"Um, right…I'm sure he was. So, what about Sephiroth?"

Gillian shrugged. "They mainly became friends because they all rose to the top quickly and were the only challenges that Sephiroth had (although I feel that anything Sephiroth can do, my baby Angeal can do better). But as for how they physically met…"

This time, her story was told from the point of a flashback, as though she had been there herself.

"So, it would seem I have competition," teen Sephiroth said arrogantly. "I'm actually flattered that you would care so much about surpassing me."

"Let's wipe that sexy smug smirk off his face," Genesis hissed at Angeal, holding his rapier up in a stance ready for combat.

Likewise, Angeal readied a standard Shinra sword as well, not bothering to use the Buster Sword. He crouched into position for only a second before springing forward and attacking with no warning, Genesis only a fraction of a second behind him.

For extra credit, the students of the academy could earn points for fighting the already famous Sephiroth. Land a blow and get an A for the week. Make him bleed and you were excused from final exams. Knock him unconscious and you'd be promoted to First Class no questions asked. It went without saying that Sephiroth constantly had people challenging him left and right.

But only these two had ever gotten remotely close to defeating him, actually being smart and double-teaming him. Still, they were no match. They fought commendably though and for that, they had his respect. When the battle was finished and it was clear their strength was gone, he stood and shook their hands instead of turning and walking away as he would've done with anyone else.

"I think we get a little closer every time!" the one named Angeal smiled, giving his hand a hearty shake. "We'll have you beaten yet."

"Oh, I don't know about that…" Sephiroth also smiled.

"Hey, there's a party going down in the Slums tonight, you in?" Genesis asked, looking extremely hopeful.

Sephiroth's smile faltered and he suddenly looked indecisive. "I'll…try. But I might…have some other things to do." Other things like being experimented on. Again. The norm of his life, sadly.

"Oh. Okay," Genesis all but pouted.

"I have my honor to keep so I won't be going," Angeal stated. "So, see you in class tomorrow." The two waved goodbye and took their leave, making Sephiroth feel utterly alone.

Immediately, he whipped around and ran across the large field behind the obstacle course for the school, heading back to the headquarters. Dashing inside, he smoothly made it into a closing elevator by sliding in on his knees, much to the annoyance of the business personnel on board. He tapped his foot impatiently until the elevator reached his floor, then bolted down the hallway of the Science Department. He growled in irritation as he had to stand inside a decontamination stall that steamed (rather than showered) the germs off his body without harming his skin, then continued his frantic pace down several more halls until finally he reached his destination.

"Professor Hojo!" He screamed, throwing open the lab door without preamble. The man was in the midst of injecting something into a red dog looking animal on the table, the number XIII branded painfully into its hide.

"What, child?" The scientist yelled in the worst nasally voice in the history of nasal congestion. "What is so important that you have to rudely interrupt my research over?"

"I wanna go to a party!" Sephiroth blurted, too excited at the idea to think out a more logical way of asking.

"A…party? HA!" Hojo cackled. Ew. "You are meant to kill, a finely tuned weapon! Not some fru-fru party-goer! Besides, do you know what happens at those things? People consume alcohol and herbs and have wild, passionate monkey sex while grinding their hips to all that rap and rock garbage. I will not have you submitted to such nonsense."

Sephiroth threw his Masamune down on the floor, not caring if he damaged it. "I'm not a weapon! I'm a person! And did you ever think that maybe I want to know what it's like to drink and smoke and have wild monkey sex? You're not my dad, I don't have to listen to you!"

Hojo almost said it. He _almost _said it, but caught himself just in time. "Oh please, stop your teenage angsting! Now, we need to run another urine sample so go grab one of those plastic cups and—hey! Just where do you think you're going?"

"Away from your fugly face!" Sephiroth yelled back, continuing to run back down the halls.

That night, he indeed would drink, cough his lungs out in his first attempt at smoking, and almost get lucky at having passionate sex but wimped out at the last moment. Genesis stayed on his heels during nearly the entire party and the closeness carried over to the next morning in class where he dragged the boy to a seat next to himself and Angeal. And thus the three were solidified as friends.

Gillian's story lasted all the way through dinner and even dessert. Zack was finally brought back to reality when his cell phone went off in his pocket.

"Where the _hell_ are you?" Tseng yelled. Yes, yelled. So he did possess the capability of extending his vocal range. Who knew.

"Uh…interviewing Angeal's mother for more possible leads?" Zack squeaked it out as more of a question than a statement.

"I've found Genesis' hideout already. Ditch the old hag and meet me on the cliffs above the Banora White factory." He promptly cut the line.

"Did I hear him call me an old hag?" Gillian began vehemently.

"Great dinner, gotta go!" Zack said, jumping up from the table and making a break for it. Minutes later, he joined the Turk who was kneeling and looking down on the factory.

"So, it took you two hours to interview her. Tell me, what did you find out?"

Oh no. "Um…Angeal prefers boxers over briefs?" Zack ventured.

Tseng became impossibly paler, then just face-palmed altogether. "And this is why we're paid more than SOLDIER…"

"Nuh-uh! We do way more than Turks!"

"What we each do isn't the point. Turks are nicely taken care of. In comparison, SOLDIERs are like the bastard child of Shinra."

Oh, the irony of that statement…

"Yeah, well, what did you find in those graves that shouldn't have been there to begin with, huh?" Zack countered him.

"Genesis' parents. And the family dog."

Zack covered his mouth in sickness.

"Mrs. Rhapsodos looked quite lovely still though," Tseng added, more as a comment to himself. "I could still smell her perfume too…"

Zack actively gagged this time and said, "Okay, let's finish this mission. _Please_."

Bursting through the roof of the factory, they made their way to the storage room near the back of the facility, which also housed a small office. Tseng set to work hacking into the files on the computer there while Zack meandered deeper inside. Turning down a side hall, he began to hear something that sounded like someone singing. Pushing open a large door, he was surprised to find the real Genesis sitting on the floor, the epic poem in his hands.

"_Even if I repeat the sin that won't be forgiven  
>And descend to hell, my body burning<br>It's okay if you're there giving me a smile_

_You are the irreplaceable flower_."

"Those lyrics are property of Gackt," Zack said dryly.

Genesis shrugged. "Meh, we're one in the same." He closed the book and stood, giving a leisurely stretch, contorting his body this way and that, all but putting his leg behind his head. When he was finally finished, he brought his wrists together as though they were cuffed, a seductive smile on his face. "So, are you here to drag me off to jail for being _naughty_?"

Why me, Zack sighed. "Actually, we all sort of just want you to come back and stop with this war you're waging against…well, everything. We get it, LOVELESS is powerful and yeah, we know you want to spread its gospel (and quoting Gackt lyrics isn't going to get you there!) but Genesis, seriously man. It's already a play! It's known the world over. What more do you want?"

Suddenly the redhead burst out laughing, doubling over and clutching his stomach. After he'd finally gained his composure again, he straightened up, wiping tears from his eyes. "Do you really think that that's the real reason I want to destroy Shinra? Oh, if only…but alas, no. The real reason is _this._"

Standing in front of a window to where the afternoon sunlight shone behind him, he grabbed his hair and perfectly pulled up one single strand. Zack stared at it, furrowing his brow, and then frowned. "You have a premature gray hair. Big whoop."

"_Big whoop_? Damn right it's a big whoop!" Genesis exploded. "I'm _aging_! In fact, it's more than that! I'm degrading! Don't you get it? My molecular structure is unraveling and I need to find a cure, ASAP! I am nothing more than the discarded product of a failed experiment by Shinra and instead of ending my life from the get-go, I'm now forced to struggle and find a means to survive."

Zack pondered this for a moment before coming to a conclusion. "Seems to me that if anyone, Shinra is the only place that'd be able to help you. You might not like working with them, but you should try to give it a shot."

Genesis scoffed at the notion. "Shinra's not going to waste another cent on me. I was _discarded. _Have you ever heard of Shinra reviving a failed project? Once thrown in the trash, it stays in the trash and they'll do anything and everything in their power to cover for their mistakes. I do have my eyes set on one person who may help me though…"

Just then, Tseng ran into the room, skidding to a halt beside Zack. "You!" he said, pointing to Genesis.

"Hello!" Genesis said sweetly, then without warning, shot a fireball at Tseng, sending him sprawling across the room. He crashed into one of the many tanks that Zack had failed to notice at first before sliding to the ground.

"I didn't even _do _anything," The Turk gasped out as he held his stomach.

"It's more of the fact that you exist than anything," Genesis said calmly.

Zack finally walked closer to the tanks and gasped in shock. Floating in each one was a replica of Genesis. "You know, you might be able to live a little longer if you stopped spreading your seed to everything," Zack muttered to him.

"You might be quite correct about that but my army is a vital part of my plans. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have an appointment with my stylist. Even near death, I'd like to look my best. Ta-ta."

Genesis began to casually walk out of the warehouse. Zack, realizing that catching Genesis was the whole purpose of the trip, reached out an arm to stop him but was thwarted when a familiar large blade was placed in his way. Angeal stepped out from behind a stack of crates, clearly showing that Zack wouldn't be getting past.

"Oh man, I was hoping Sephiroth was wrong when he said that Genesis had brainwashed you too," the boy said, shaking his head sadly. "I thought you hated LOVELESS?"

"This has nothing to do with that," Angeal said gruffly, folding his arms. "I'm…having some personal problems. Been seeing a shrink, getting some advice. I'm just not ready to return to SOLDIER yet."

This certainly wasn't the speech Zack had been expecting to hear and thus didn't have an adequate answer for it. "Oh. Well…Shinra has some good therapists—"

"I'm sick of Shinra."

"Why is everyone sick of Shinra? Last I checked, they're the ones with the state of the art everything! You're just going to throw all that away?"

"…you wouldn't understand," the man said quietly, turning away.

"Then show me." Zack had never been more serious in his entire life.

Somewhere in another universe, this would probably be the part where the two would come together in frantic kisses, rolling all over the floor and tearing off clothes in animalistic lust. But because we're not in that universe, Angeal gave an anticlimactic "Go away" before running out of the warehouse.

By now, Tseng had picked himself up off the floor, using a Cure spell to heal his burn wounds. "After them!" he shouted to Zack, flipping open his phone to report their progress (or lack of it) back to headquarters.

Outside, neither Angeal nor Genesis were to be seen, disappearing as though into thin air…

"Shinra's on their way to do an air raid of the village. We need to get to the chopper now." Tseng said, starting back down the path they'd come from. "All evidence of what happened here will be eradicated to ensure nothing falls into the wrong hands."

"And what about Gillian?" Zack wondered.

Tseng stopped and looked at him with grave eyes. "You might want to go save her, don't you think?"

Zack didn't need to be told twice. He bolted back to the village in record speeds all to find that the woman's door was open. Hoping for the best but expecting the worst, he ran inside.

Worst was what he got. Gillian lay dead on the floor.

With absolute terrible timing, Angeal exited the house, all evidence of the crime pointing to him.

"You sick fuck!" Zack screamed, grabbing him and slamming him against a wall. "That's your mom! How could you?"

"I am not a crook!" Angeal defended, shaking Zack's hands off of him. "And she took her own life. Because she knows…she knows about me…"

"Knows what? I'm getting tired of all this guessing!"

"She knows that we are nothing but monsters, every last one of us Shinra lapdogs." This came from Genesis, who decided to make his second appearance via sky, revealing his single black wing as he drifted down.

Zack opened his mouth, then closed it, shaking his head. But he couldn't hold back any longer. "Please tell me that we're not really going with the idea that a single wing weighing probably less than a pound is going to carry the weight of a full grown man. Am I really the only one seeing this?"

"_There can be miracles when you believe. Though hope is frail, it's hard to kill,_" Genesis quoted. "It's like the Peter Pan theory. If you believe you can fly, then you can fly. Don't ruin our fun, Zack the Bitch."

"Why you Fruit Loop Troop, Limp-Wrist Warrior lookin'—" But before Zack could finish, Genesis took off into the sky again, black feathers drifting back down. He turned his attention back to his friend to find that Angeal too had released his wing, white as a line of coke.

…never was great with analogies.

"My mother knew what I was, Zack. She's responsible for it and in her shame, she took her own life. Shinra is also at fault for ditching us to die. They must pay for their transgressions, for turning me into a monster!"

"…isn't that what Lady Gaga calls her fans?" Zack mused.

Instead of replying, Angeal jumped into the air and flew off, his remaining white feathers mingling with the black ones.

"Someone needs to tell them they're molting."

Another call came through on his cell, Tseng urging him to get out of there as the air raid was about to strike. Zack picked up one of the white feathers as a memento before running out of the village.

His last view of Banora was of the burning trees bearing the dumbapples. As they flew off, his only regret was that he never even got to taste one!

* * *

><p>I bash the Firsts because I love them ^_^<p>

Gackt song lyrics come from his song _Flower._ Of the few songs of his I checked out while writing this, it was the sweetest and most emotional to me. Other song lyrics mentioned were "When You Believe" from Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston.

Oh, funny thing…I stumbled across Gack's official fanpage…let's just say it puts the fanclubs of Crisis Core to shame O_o


	6. Be Prepared

Oh yes, I finally posted my first extremely long chapter for this story. It's sort of two parts (well, no 'sort of' to it. It is two parts). I wanted go progress the story along to a certain point by this chapter though so I had to cram a lot of info here. As I usually say with these sort of chapters, read it when you have a lot of down time so you won't feel overwhelmed ^_^

* * *

><p><strong>Be Prepared<strong>

(Cookies to anyone who can name the Disney movie this song came from. No cheating!)

After the raid on Angeal and Genesis' hometown, there wasn't much else for Zack to do. He hung around with the other SOLDIERs who were on standby and played cards with them or rolled his eyes at everyone that complained about not being able to get on the newly hacked PlayStation Network. Seriously, if Zack heard one more person complain about that, he was going to choke someone. His roomie included because Kunsel was at the _top _of that list.

He was also busy battling off the adoration of Luxiere, who after hearing about his Wutai mission and the journey to Banora, was all but in love with him. Which was starting to get very creepy. Where the hell he got his phone number from, Zack wasn't sure, but the boy wasted no time in telling him no less than five times a day "No matter what, I'm following you till the end, Zack!" Zack wasn't sure what to really do about the kid (because he had to admit, it was nice having someone constantly stroking his ego!) but it could be smothering at the same time. So, he just began monitoring his locations and making sure Luxiere didn't follow him anywhere. Which was easier said than done.

Finally after three weeks with nothing to do—which is cruel and unusual punishment for someone that's been genetically enhanced and then told to just sit still—a call came on Zack's phone which seemed to be the norm of how information was passed.

"Zack, you're needed in Director Lazard's office," the person said, a familiar voice. Good, he had a bit of a bone to pick with them.

The fifty-sixth floor wasn't even an entire floor and only consisted of Lazard's office. When Zack entered, the man himself was naturally sitting behind his desk. Leaning against a side table though was Sephiroth, who seemed to be going down a checklist of something.

"Word on the street has it that you were supposed to go to Banora instead of me," Zack told him, not even masking the accusation in his voice.

"Yeah, something came up, had to cancel," Sephiroth yawned, turning a page on the clipboard. "Besides, Tseng told me you had fun."

"Fun? Watching people commit suicide and grow mysterious wings and quote copy-righted songs isn't fun! And they're your friends too! Why'd you pass up the chance to see them?"

Sephiroth sighed and put the papers aside. "I told you, something came up. Now are you going to bitch about this all day?"

"What was so important that you had to miss seeing your best friends?" Zack yelled, and out the corner of his eye, he could see Lazard lean back with raised eyebrows, impressed and shocked at him yelling at the great Sephiroth.

The man in question turned his eyes away for a moment before slowly letting out his breath. "I…had a dentist appointment. Don't laugh! I have a damn cavity. Have you ever had a cavity? They hurt. A lot. Eating anything is difficult when your teeth are in such a fragile state. So, I apologize to Angeal and Genesis but I had to take a rain check. Anything else you'd like to know? My shoe size? Favorite song? The fact that I actually like the color pink? My fanclubs already have that information."

Thoroughly reprimanded, Zack was at a loss as to any good comebacks and let the issue drop.

"Now that your little spat has passed," Lazard said, drawing their attention, "I do believe we can get down to business. But most importantly…Zack Fair, I'm promoting you to First Class. Congratulations."

Sephiroth began clapping for him but slowed down once he saw that the boy wasn't really enthused, dropping his hands and giving a small cough to hide his actions.

"Funny. I thought I'd be happier," Zack mumbled.

"That's understandable. You've been through a lot," Lazard said, actually sounding compassionate. "But I have some more news to tell you. Go back to the SOLDIER floor and change into the First uniform, then report back to me."

Zack followed his orders and when he stepped from his room bathroom back into his dorm, Kunsel all but died of shock and envy. "Oh my god, Zack just let me touch the uniform! You and I both know I'll never be a First…so I have to live it through you. Go out there and make daddy proud!" He wiped a tear away and patted his friend on the shoulder in pride.

Luxiere was another matter.

"Let go of me!" Zack screamed, literally shoved the younger SOLDIER off of him as he struggled to get back into the elevator. "You're getting drool all over my shirt!"

"Oh Zack, I knew you could do it!" Luxiere gushed, sobbing (and yes, drooling) from excitement. "I swear my life to you, Zack! I've even gotten you name tattooed on my arm! Look, see!"

Zack managed to push the boy out of the elevator but just before it closed, he indeed did see his name in cursive, almost intimate letters on his body. This wasn't looking good…

Back in front of Lazard, the Director nodded his approval at the uniform change. "Looks good on you," he remarked idly and nobody missed the splutter from Sephiroth, who was playing Family Feud on his cell phone.

"I have a mission for the both of you," Lazard said, doing a praying mantis fold of his hands. "While we've bombed Banora to cover for the dissertation of the SOLDIERs, that's still not enough to fully cover the rebellion. Both of you are being tasked with killing Angeal and Genesis. I'll send some inconsequential infantrymen to help you."

Zack was appalled. Sephiroth on the other hand only looked up and mildly asked, "What's something you'd find in the super market?"

"Sephiroth! Did you not _hear _what he just said?" Zack again shouted at him. Sephiroth always just let it go…so it was getting easier to do it and not even worry about being beheaded.

"Yeah yeah, kill Angeal and Genesis, right. Hm…ah! Bacon! You find bacon in super markets…" The General thumbed down the list to input his answer.

"You don't even care!" Zack screamed. "You're nothing but a selfish, heartless, egotistical, dirty, lying—"

BEEP!

Choosing at that very moment to go off was the security system for the entire building. Doors went on lockdown that only those with the proper keycards could unlock, a measure to protect against infiltration.

"Zack, guard the front entrance!" Lazard announced. "Sephiroth, get to the president. I believe Genesis has decided to pay us a visit."

The men nodded and Sephiroth regretfully closed out of Family Feud to go do as he was told. Zack paused though and looked at Lazard who'd begun to sink in his seat. "Er, sir? What are you doing?"

"Oh, nothing, nothing…just gonna…stay here for a bit." And with that, Lazard popped out of view.

"Are you…hiding?" Zack asked, completely amazed at the action.

"Nothing of the sort! I'm just…playing a one-sided game of hide and seek is all," Lazard called out from under the desk. "Zack? Please go defend the front entrance. Please? I'd feel much saf—um, I feel you'd be doing a great service to all the Shinra employees if you'd do that."

Zack stared at him a little longer before finally walking away, wondering if the man's sanity was okay.

While total utter chaos raged outside, a young blonde calmly swiped his keycard for the Director's office and let himself in. At first glance, the office seemed empty and he was about to leave but a movement caught his attention. A hand with no body was patting the desktop for something that was out of reach.

Rufus Shinra smirked and sauntered forward quietly, pausing in front of the desk. The hand brushed against a water bottle and the fingers tried to close around it but instead made the object move farther back.

"Here you go_,_" Rufus said, and pushed the bottle into the hand. It froze for a moment before vanishing under the desk. Nothing more resurfaced.

The blonde shook his head in amused bewilderment. He rounded the desk and ripped the chair back, crouching down. There Lazard sat, huddled into a ball with a deer-in-headlights sort of look on his face.

"Hello, _brother,_" Rufus smiled cheekily. He held out a ringed hand, yanking the other man out from under the desk and all but shoving him into the seat. "Forgive me that we've not had any time to talk properly. Father's kept me quite busy since becoming the VP." His entire tone read _I'm more important than you and you know it. _

"He's my father too, you know," Lazard finally said. "As your older brother, I don't think you deserve to have that title."

"Oh my, you poor dear!" Rufus laughed, actually throwing back his head like a true villain, "You're _illegitimate_! We can't have a little nuisance like you staining the Shinra family, now can we? Imagine how my poor mother would feel to know that father had a previous son. Face it, Lazard, your mother was no more than a good wham-bam-thank you ma'am and you just happen to be the product of that tryst."

Lazard removed a glove from his hand and used it to slap Rufus. Rufus removed his own white glove and slapped him back. The fighting of the rich and pathetically puny. Realizing that neither was truly doing any harm to the other, Rufus sniffed contemptuously and continued.

"I'm going to assume that you took this little family spat out on your department, yes? I heard it from Reno who heard it from Rude who heard it from Cissnei who heard it from Tseng that SOLDIERs aren't paid as well as the Turks anymore and naturally everyone is wondering why. I don't know specifically where the money is going but I have reason to believe that it's an attempt to hurt father, yes? Although I must say, siphoning money isn't going to hurt him. I burn a million every night in my fireplace to keep me warm," Rufus shrugged casually. "But because you're misguided on money management, which I can understand since you were raised in _poverty, _I'll be your financial advisor and give you some pointers on where that money can go. Besides…you and I are playing ball on the same team."

Lazard thought this over for a moment, chewing his lip thoughtfully. When he finally spoke, his voice was hushed. "You want to kill him."

"Six feet under, swimming with the fishes, terminated, expired, whatever you want to call it. Yes, I want to kill father," Rufus admitted. "He's not going to let me become president. We have…a confliction of interests with the way this company should be run. And he knows I want him gone and he's _scared. _Why all the sudden world-trip assignments? To keep me away. You have your own appearance to keep up as well, which I'm going to assume is why you have Sephiroth defending him right now. Though I must tell you, brother, that was a stupid move. This raid was a perfect time to kill him! But no matter…we have time."

Rufus sat down on the edge of the desk and leaned forward, that arrogant smirk growing ever wider. "Together, we can do this. The presidency is mine, of course, I just can't let you have that. But I can certainly give you the vice presidency. You becoming Director was Dad's way of saying opps, my bad but I can help you achieve bigger dreams. So…do I have your assistance, brother?"

Lazard's passive face broke out into an equally evil grin and he shook his younger half-sibling's hand. "You have my allegiance."

Of course what Lazard didn't tell him was that he'd already set in motion the plan of killing both the President and his spoilt-ass son…

~.~.~

An hour later after he'd rid the front entrance of the Genesis onslaught, Zack took to the streets of Midgar to do more damage control. All around him, people were screaming and running with no clear direction of where they were going except _away. _The women he'd seen from the fanclubs were squawking the loudest, running in pointless circles. Those belonging to Red Leather and The Study Group hyperventilated like teenage girls, hoping to capture a picture of Genesis…maybe half nude?

Really, what the hell is wrong with fangirls?

He ignored them and made a beeline for LOVELESS Avenue, which seemed to have the most people pouring out. Danger was afoot! No need to fear, Zack Fair was here!

"And just where do you think _you're _going, slick?"

Zack skidded to a stop at the sound of the smooth, easy voice. Spinning around, he saw that a group of Turks had spread out already to also handle the situation. The person that seemed to have spoken to him was a guy with red hair that'd clearly been dyed…seriously, no person was really born with hair that fucking red.

"Sector 8's our duty. Stand back and let the Turks handle it!" He grinned broadly and the larger, bald man standing beside him chortled too. Ahh, a comedy duo if Zack had ever seen one.

"Well, looks like we're doing the same mission then," the SOLDIER told them. "Lazard's orders to clean up the streets. Besides, you guys know you could use some muscle!" Zack flexed a toned arm and the Turks scoffed in jealousy.

"We don't need any help from—" began the redhead but was cut off by someone else.

"Great! Isn't that nice of him, Reno?" a girl said. Zack at first only let his eyes pass over her briefly, then his hormones kicked in and told his brain, _go back and actually _LOOK _at that wondrous body! _And so he did. And mm-MMM! Who knew a woman in a man's business suit could still look so tempting?

"Hi, I'm Cissnei," the girl said and held out a hand to him.

"Hi, Zack, my name, yoursopretty," Zack garbled.

She didn't catch it though and only giggled. "Cute." Suddenly, she jerked her head up and without warning, threw a large, crimson star-shaped weapon behind him. It sailed back to her hand effortlessly and an advancing Genesis copy promptly fell to the ground dead.

"Nice aim there, Cissnei. You're certainly progressing." Tseng approached them, looking as calm and unfazed as always. Until he saw Zack. "You again? I was really hoping I wouldn't have to deal with you anymore."

"Well that's just too damn bad because I'm the main character. Surprisingly though, you are too…" Zack muttered, honestly confused as to how Tseng played a major part in the story.

But let us piece back together that fourth wall, shall we?

"We'll take it from here," Tseng told him. Turning to his minions, he ordered, "Reno, Rude, you take the upper half of Sector 8. Cissnei, you handle LOVELESS Avenue. And where the hell is Elena with my frappuchino? I sent her to Starbucks over twenty minutes ago. What good is pushing around the noobs if they don't do what you tell them to?"

Before any of them could be sent on the coffee run, each Turk quickly dashed off to do what they'd been told. Ignoring the fuming leader's orders, Zack took off down LOVELESS as well.

Most of the pandemonium on the street was gone due to the masses clearing out upon the attack but there seemed to be a group of people that didn't get the memo and were crowded together around something. They were all strangely quiet though and when Zack drew closer, he saw why and groaned out loud, earning him a few 'shh's! and nasty looks from the others.

A Genesis copy was sitting on a boxed crate and—you guessed it—reading LOVELESS aloud. The people didn't seem to care that the guy was clearly a fake, they just wanted to be close to their idol. Some reached out and laid a hand on his shoulder or back, as though he were a saint that possessed the power to heal by simply touching him.

Sound like anyone you know?

It was sickening and Zack was at wit's end with that book. He didn't even try to be discreet about it. Like something out of a Shakespearian play, he ran his sword through the copy's stomach, enjoying the fear on his face as he realized his imminent demise.

"Hark! I have been mortally wounded! As the sun sets on this glorious day, I too must set with it. Alas, my star has given its last glow but know this! There are many stars in that eternal heaven, that endless cosmos. And when one star dies, always, always, another is born anew. So weep not for me! I am but one of many more! And I assure you," the copy said, now looking directly at Zack with an insidious grin "That I _will _return." His eyes rolled to the back of his head and his body dissolved into green orbs to be consumed by the Lifestream.

The crowd was quiet with stunned silence before some random guy screamed out "Kill him!" and pointed an accusing finger at Zack. Immediately, eyes became bloodshot and mouths foamed for the taste of revenge. Betrayed by the very people he was to protect, Zack turned around and fled from ordinary civilians.

He had run by what he'd thought was an empty alleyway when he heard someone whisper, "Zack, in here!" He twisted his body into the cramped space quick enough to where the mob missed it and they stormed past, chanting "Gen-e-sis mur-der-er!" with an almost Nazi-like march to match.

"If they act like this over Genesis, I'd hate to see what they'd do over Sephiroth's death," he said to the person sharing his space. The beautiful Cissnei, with hair the color of caramel and eyes the color of a baby fawn.

_You're so fucking pathetic, Zack, _he told himself which had the sobering effect he needed.

"I think they're gone," the girl said, peeking around the corner to make sure the coast was clear before stepping back out into the street. "I need to go help Rude and Reno now but…maybe I'll see you again?"

The part of his brain that he'd only just chastised woke back up at the hopeful tone of her voice. _She's totally checking you out, bro! _"Uh, sure! Yeah, I'll be around. I mean…you can find me on the SOLDIER floor. Anytime. Day or night. 24/7. 365. Dorm room 268. West wing. Got an easy phone number to remember too. Yep. You just need to dial 339-555—"

"Well, catch up with you later Zack, bye!" Cissnei waved brightly and dashed off without even writing down a single bit of information.

Which totally crushed Zack's fragile male ego so he wasn't in a very happy mood when his cell phone rang and Sephiroth was on the other end. "What do you want?" he demanded.

"For you to get your ass over to Sector 5," the General snarled back. "Sightings of Genesis and Angeal have been coming in from around this area. We'll get to them before the army does and—"

"AND WHAT?" Zack screeched.

"Keep up all that yelling and I'll delete you from my top friend's list, that's what," Sephiroth said with complete seriousness. "But aside from that, we'll find them and bring them back alive on our own. Naturally I'll take all the credit but you can come along for the sake of _thinking _you're important."

Twenty minutes later, Zack was not only in Sector 5 but was standing over an Angeal copy he'd slain.

"What the hell, man? This doesn't even look anything like him!" Zack complained. "How come Genesis gets actual look-alikes while Angeal's looks like deformed dogs?"

Sephiroth groaned in a tired and disgusted way. "No mention of dogs, please. That bastard made me swear that in the event that something happened to him, I'd take in his two Great Danes, Ace and Duke. Do you know how large those are? And since Hojo refuses to let me out of his sight, I have to hear his bitching about them too. Although most of his comments come in the form of wanting to experiment on them as well." He shrugged, then grinned. "If there's one highlight, it's that he's allergic to them. Have to relish in the little things sometimes…anyways, that's probably why Angeal's copies look like mutts."

Zack pretty much stopped paying attention at the first mention of Great Danes though and was pawing at him for a picture. Sephiroth gladly obliged and flashed a quick photo of Angeal sitting on a couch with a pure black Dane and a white and black-spotted one resting their heads in his lap. The caption on the back read _"Me and my dawgs." _

D'aww.

"With any luck, we'll be able to knock some sense into him and Genesis and end this fighting," Sephiroth added, putting the picture back in his wallet and leading the way further into the Sector 5 plate.

Progress was initially held up as Zack found it his sole duty to stab every rat that ran by them and by the time Sephiroth finally confronted him about it, the boy had a shish kabob of them lined up on his sword. The great General gagged and immediately turned back around.

They finally reached their destination sometime later, an underground lab of some sort and Sephiroth left Zack to explore on his own while he contented himself with a sheaf of papers lying on a desk. Zack walked around and examined a few other loose papers that were scattered on various other tables.

_January 28th, 1979. Project G has finally been approved! I have injected subject G with the cells and have taken those from her body and passed them on to another subject, a nameless infant gifted to us by some dumb teenage girl in the Slums for a mere 5,000 gil. At the same time, a third subject is being brewed, Subject G's five month old fetus. I'm eagerly awaiting the results. _

_May 16__th__, 1979. Subject G has given birth to a male child. In time, we will see how the cells affect his body. Unfortunately, the first infant subject seems to be showing no signs of change. We shall donate him over to the landowner's of a small village. What an utterly useless specimen!_

_ July 4__th__, 1979. Hojo, that bastard! Shinra has given him the greenlight to further his own experiment, Project S, and in turn is shutting down my own research! Furthermore, it was he that was chosen to replace Gast as the head of the Science Department! I have invested way too much time and effort into this to give up now! This is not the end…I swear it. _

When Zack lowered the papers from his face, he looked up and saw a rotund man (for lack of a better word) wearing a lab coat over a basic Banora White apple juice T-shirt and slacks. Zack could see that Sephiroth had stopped reading as well and was observing the man.

"Hollander." His voice was cold.

"Hello, the bane of my existence," Hollander replied.

"And I'm Genesis!" the redhead exclaimed, jumping down from the staircase that led to the basement lab. "Two's a crowd and three's a party and I'm the host of it!" He smiled a little longer until it faded to be replaced with seriousness. "So. Now you know. I'm the product of a mother willing to sell me off for a despicable price, an adopted child raised on lies and the failed experiment of mad scientists. But Hollander's willing to help me if I'm willing to help bring down Shinra, something that was already on my to-do list."

He put his hand down by his side and Sephiroth and Zack tensed, figuring he was about to draw his sword. Instead, he pulled out…_that book. _

_"If I should stay_

_I would only be in your way_

_So I'll go, but I know_

_I'll think of you every step of the way_

_And I…will always love you."_

"LOVELESS, Act II." Genesis closed the book.

"That's not really written in there!" Zack shouted.

"Hey! Which one of us has read it more, me or you? Who's holding the book, me or you? Who's a First Class SOLDIER, me or…oh. What the frick, I leave for a few weeks and they just start making random grunts First Class? Malarkey!" Genesis slammed the book on the ground like a child throwing a tantrum.

At the sound of the loud _smack_, Hollander bolted up the staircase and made a break for it.

"Zack, after him!" Sephiroth ordered. "I'll handle Genesis."

Zack nodded in understanding and took after the scientist, who was just rounding a corner up ahead. He laid on the speed but…it seemed no matter how hard he tried, he was always just out of his reach. "How the hell is this fat sonovabitch outrunning me? I'm genetically enhanced and yet this old man in _flip flops _is still faster! Square Enix, explain this, please!"

With a final spurt of energy, he reached out a hand to grab Hollander's coat but was blocked by a blade being held out in his way. Hollander passed by it and waddled on. Zack, on the other hand, was clothes-lined and fell painfully hard on his back.

He didn't need to look to know who it was. He rubbed his sore spots as he stood back up, watching the form of the scientist get smaller and smaller. "Hello, Angeal."

The man stepped out from where he was hiding, Buster Sword finally in hand. Cue weepy violin theme song.

"What do you want, Angeal?" Zack figured he'd ask. There really was no logical reason as to why his mentor was now picking on him. At least that's how he saw it.

"World domination," Angeal answered.

"Not a bad goal…" the boy agreed.

"Okay, then 'bout revenge?"

"Meh, not as cool as world domination."

Angeal chuckled. "I'm a freak, Zack. A mutant. Even Professor Xavier wouldn't take someone like me in—"

"Oh, I think that'd only be because you're actually normal compared to the types of students he teaches," Zack reassured him.

"How can I ever have any amount of pride when I'm a monster?" the man roared suddenly, flashing his white wings. They drifted slowly to the ground and Zack gently caught one in his palm.

"You're not a monster," he whispered.

"Then what do you call these?" Angeal gestured to his new appendages.

"Angel wings." Zack looked at him with the sincere eyes of a puppy.

Angeal sighed. "Yeah, I don't like the direction this conversation is going." Without warning, he blasted Zack backwards with an energy wave, wracking his entire body with pain this time. He was going to need to hire a chiropractor in his later years of life.

"Angeal…please. Just enjoy being you. It's the brand new craze sweeping pop artists today, a million and one songs about loving yourself! Like we need to hear about being yourself from a bunch of superficial people who look like super models and wouldn't know a thing about what it's like to be thought of as being ugly, fat, too tall, too skinny, not cool enough, being _openly_ gay _during_ their high-time of fame, and all in-between. But hey, who cares as long as the song's catchy, right?"

"…goodbye, Zack," Angeal said, his own eyes filled with sadness. He hit the boy with another shockwave and the grate underneath Zack's feet broke, sending him plummeting down under.

"You're fuckin' perfect, Angeal, you hear me? You're fuckin' perfect!" Zack called out, his voice echoing in the darkness.

Zack's worst pain yet happened when he finally hit the ground, which knocked the complete sense out of him. His body quickly gave up the will to stay awake and succumbed sluggishly to the peacefulness of the unconscious realm.

The last thing his mind registered was the almost alien smell of flowers.

* * *

><p>Quick notes: Elena isn't a true character in this (she doesn't show up until Cissnei leaves the Turks circa FFVII if you want to stay canon to the game but I needed another person to do Tseng's bidding. My Tseng is a bastard. Get used to it, xD. Also, according to the FFVII wiki (which wiki's aren't always completely accurate so bear with me here), it would appear that Genesis is a bit older than Angeal, Sephiroth being the 'baby' of the group. Meaning all of them are the same age. Found that cute.<p>

Anywho, updating is probably going to be a tad random and a little farther between. Let's hope for nothing more than 2-3 weeks between chapters…I always strive to update my work at least twice a month (nobody likes reading a fanfiction where the author takes forever to update but we understand that people do have lives ^_^)


	7. Won't Say I'm In Love

Another long chapter although these actually might become more frequent. Enjoy!

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><p><strong>Won't Say I'm In Love<strong>

"It's raining men! Hallelujah!"

_Mom? I…I want to help a friend. But I don't know how…_

"Give them a flower!"

_I…don't think that'd help. In fact, I'm almost positive that'd make things worse._

"Okay…could you _get off _my flowers then?"

_Wha-?_

Zack blinked his eyes open to find an attractive young woman peering down into his face.

"An angel…" he murmured, already feeling the mushies creep into his stomach. _Sorry_ _Cissnei of the Carmel Hair, you've been replaced. _

"I'm not the angel. Seems like you are, falling from the sky like that," the girl giggled. She reached out a hand to help him up but he refused it, instead showing off by jumping to his feet without using his arms.

He looked around him, taking in the rundown pews and the dilapidated alter, then noticed the gigantic hole in the ceiling streaming in sunlight from above. At his feet was a patch of flowers, most of them crushed beyond repair. "Oops…sorry about that."

She shook her head. "Don't worry about it. You'd surely be dead had the flowers not padded your fall."

Zack was going to shrug it off but it was another plot point that he just couldn't ignore. "I fell from over ten stories! There's no way a few flowers is going to stop me from basically dying!"

"But these are magical flowers!" The girl told him. "I know because I talk to them."

_The cute ones always have to be the craziest, don't they. _"That's…great…I guess…" Zack decided that a subject change was quickly in order. "I'm Zack Fair! What's your name?"

"Aerith," she said, kneeling down to pet the flowers. She began to coo to them softly, something that sounded like "Who's a pretty flower? Who's my wittle bawby? Yes you are! Yes you are!"

"Hey, um…your magical flowers kinda saved me," Zack began, scratching the side of his face and not looking at her. Here came the leap of faith. "To return the favor, I'll give you one date. How's that sound?"

"You make it seem like it's some major honor to date you," Aerith snapped, blowing Zack's plan (and confidence) to all hell. "I get proposals from guys every day of the week, what makes _you _think you're so special?"

Oh, his achy-breaky heart. "You know what? Never mind. Forget I asked." He began to walk a dejected slouch down the church aisle, like a groom that'd been abandoned at the alter.

"Nevertheless, I never said I _wouldn't _go on a date with you," She called to his back. He turned around to look at her and found a lop-sided grin on her face. She wanted to go out with him! If he had a tail, it would've been wagging.

"R-really? For serious?"

She sauntered down the aisle, stopping when she'd walked directly past him. "Yep. But…never say 'for serious' again, kay?"

"Awesomelicious!" Zack cheered and gently began leading her out the door.

"Yeah, that phrase too is going to have to go in the garbage…"

~.~.~.~.~

They spent the day wandering around the slums marketplace, which was a pathetic variant compared to the extravagant ones on the upper plates. He invested a small sum in mixing up a perfume specially made for Aerith, or so he thought. When he'd finished, he sniffed the bottle and realized it smelled slightly familiar. Vanilla…roses…who wore a scent like that?

And then it hit him. And he seriously wished it hadn't. Sephiroth's shampoo smelled exactly like this and with the last mission placing him so close to the man, he had no choice but to smell it. Oh god, Aerith smelled like Sephiroth!

"Hey, say, I just realized, this perfume really doesn't suit you," Zack said, trying to take the bottle back but Aerith was holding onto it with a death grip.

"But I actually like it. It's floral but sweet, a really great combination," she insisted, pulling back on the bottle.

"No, no, I can make you something so much better. This is such a generic smell and you deserve something that's a one of a kind."

"I'm a Slums girl, I'm used to generic. Now let GO!" She ripped the bottle away from him and before he could interfere anymore, spritzed her wrists and neck with the scent. Now it was official and there was no going back.

_Curse you Sephiroth for smelling like a woman! _

During the struggle, he felt that someone had bumped into him rather hard but when he looked around, he couldn't spot anyone except the retreating figure of a little kid. There were several kids wandering about and he didn't think anything of it. That is, until he felt his now empty back pocket. He'd been robbed!

"Hey, get back here you little snot!" Zack yelled and began to chase the little kid down. The boy ran around the corner of a building and was absorbed into the thick crowds. He'd lost him.

Aerith trotted up to him, vanilla-rose scent assaulting his nose. "Let's split up. I know this little boy so maybe I can talk to him and find out why he did this."

"What do you mean why? When you steal money, you only do it for one reason!" Zack crossed his arms and angrily scanned the people around him, picking out every child and then discarding them when they weren't the one he was searching for. "I know you people are poor but stealing is stealing and that's wrong!"

"Well excuse us for not licking the boots of Shinra," Aerith huffed and walked away from him in the opposite direction. The nerve of this man!

Zack could already see that the differences of their social classes were going to make this a rather rocky relationship, if he'd even make it to a point to call it that. But right now, that wasn't his first priority. He needed to find the runt who had his wallet quickly before the kid blew all his gil on booze and women. Oh, wait, that's what he would've bought…

He asked around a bit to see if anyone had seen the boy and each shopkeeper said they had no idea who he was talking about but would keep an eye out for him. Invariably after each encounter though, he'd spot the child and received no help from anyone in catching him, everyone picking to solidify themselves with a pick-pocket Slums kid than an upper-plate foreigner.

Getting frustrated, he paused beside a stack of lumber that'd seemingly been abandoned and tried to regroup his thoughts on where to search. With no one wanting to help, he was alone on this one. Unless Aerith had calmed down and was still out there searching too—

"HEY! Get away from my wood!"

A man was storming toward Zack with a look of full-fledged fury on his face. When he reached level with him, he pointed a finger at him and screamed, "My wood! MINE! All mine! You can't have it! Don't even look at it! Go away!"

"Whoa, look buddy, I wasn't going to take any of your wood, I swear. I just wanted to—"

"Lies! All lies! Conspiracy theory, I say!" the man shrieked, causing other people to look over at the raving lunatic. "Everyone always wants to take my precious! I just want to build a nice place with my precious. Maybe a club. Or a bar. Yes, a bar. A great bar for my precious…"

Somewhere along the way in life, this man had clearly lost all of his marbles. Since logic was beyond the guy, Zack decided to distract him. "I'm trying to find a boy who stole something from me. It's…my own Precious. You understand what it's like to lose your Precious, right? Help me find mine. Please."

The man scratched his chin hairs for a moment before holding up a finger in thought. "Fine. But you have to help me with something. I need a name for my bar. Help me come up with a good name and I'll assist you in looking for that kid."

Zack seriously didn't have time for this and threw out the first name he could think of. "The Precious Pearl?"

"You didn't even try!" the man accused.

You got that right, Zack mumbled. "Okay, the Elite Study of Honor bar. The Firsts are pretty popular and can never have enough of their ego's being stroked. You'll have women from all over wanting to go there."

"No. They don't want any other man but them, which doesn't do me or my clientele any good," the guy countered.

Good point. "Fine, how about Seventh Heaven? It's catchy. The locals will love it."

The man thought about it for a moment and again, his face brightened with an idea. "I think it's perfect! And I can get some pretty young woman to work there! With great hips! And giant breasts. _Real _giant breasts! I'm talking sweater cows and implants huge! With long, silky black hair! And a name that begins with a T. Yeah…that sounds nice…"

"O-kay then…so, you're still gonna help me find this kid, right?" Zack asked, trying to change the disturbing subject.

"Yeah, sure. Of course!" The man promised, although he still had that dreamy look in his eyes so Zack wasn't sure how trustworthy his word was.

"Alright, I'm gonna get going. Keep an eye out for that kid for me," Zack repeated and took off down the street. Several blocks later, he finally spotted the boy again! This time he wouldn't be getting away!

Oh, but yes he would. Why? Because of course nothing could be that simple for Zack. "This little pint-sized punk is also outrunning me! C'mon, this time I even have a Dash materia! This game has got to stop embarrassing me like this!"

But the chase wasn't completely futile. He'd managed to herd the little boy in front of Aerith, who quickly grabbed his arm with a surprisingly strong grip and held him there. Holding out an expectant hand, the boy reluctantly slapped the stolen wallet into her palm.

She let go of him and returned the wallet to Zack and the two crowded in the little boy. Instead of being scared, he leaned back on his heels and said, "I thought you were rich, mister, but I see I was wrong! Seems to me like you should be living down here with us!"

"You ever thought that maybe I just got done paying my bills?" Zack shot back at him. Cheeky little bastard! But…Zack knew the truth. Tseng was right, SOLDIER wasn't paid as gloriously as everyone thought they were. All because Lazard had some sort of thorn up his ass. The two would have to talk.

The little boy began to run off but paused to call back. "Oh, for the record, you don't stand a chance in hell with Aerith! Just sayin'!" And he disappeared.

The words had only come from some stupid little kid, but Zack knew he had a terrible dating history. Women flirted, then played hard to get, which didn't make any sense and Zack wasn't smart enough to know how to play the game back. Maybe he really didn't stand a chance in hell with Aerith.

"Hello? Earth to Zackary?" the girl said, waving a hand in his face.

The sound of his real name quickly snapped him from his depressed thoughts. "Only my mom is allowed to call me that, and even she's on a budget with how much she can use it. And it's actually Zachariah, not Zackary." Hoping she wouldn't begin to call him that, he pulled her down the street and they resumed their window shopping.

By late afternoon, they'd explored everywhere in the marketplace except one, an accessories shop tucked off in a corner. Zack wasn't impressed with it, naturally, but Aerith seemed to think it was the greatest thing ever. Yes, he indeed was a spoiled Shinra lapdog.

"What a great ribbon, isn't it?" Aerith said, looking at a display of assorted ribbons and cloths. Zack wondered idly if she sewed but then had a better idea.

"Want it?" he asked.

"Oh no, I couldn't," she blushed, turning away from him.

He might as well at least try to get himself some brownie points. He picked up the pink ribbon and took it to the front counter to pay for it. Once they were back outside, he ceremoniously told her to close her eyes while he tied it in her hair. When instructed, she opened them again and used the shop window as a mirror.

"Well? Does it suit me?" she fretted, turning her head to the side to get a better look.

"Yeah, looks great," Zack encouraged, feeling those mushies rise up again. Aerith of the Flowers and Pink Ribbon, he dubbed her. "It looks…perfect."

With their first 'date' complete with something tangible to remember it by, she led him away from the marketplace and deeper into the Slums. Down one street was a quiet park and the two sat beside each other on the swings.

"I've lived in the Slums my whole life so I can't imagine anything else," Aerith suddenly told him. "But there are some people who were here when Shinra built Midgar on top, remember when SOLDIER was established. Don't they go through some sort of surgery to have all that strength? And they like to kill people for fun. They're terrible people," she added, her eyes sad and angry at the same time.

"…um, you know, I'm a SOLDIER," Zack said cautiously, hoping she wouldn't explode at the revelation .

"What? You are? OMG! I'm so sorry, Zack!" she babbled.

Zack was willing to forgive her but instead frowned. "You _seriously _had no idea I was in SOLDIER? None at all? I'm in uniform with the giant SOLDIER insignia on my belt and let's not even mention the six foot sword on my back and yet you truly had absolutely no clue? How the hell did you manage that?"

"If I told you I was solely captivated by your beautiful face, would you shut up and let it go?" she smiled at him, her cheeks blazing from either anger or embarrassment.

"Really? I'm beautiful? What's beautiful about me?" Zack couldn't help himself. The opportunity to hear a woman praise him was too good to pass up.

"Your…eyes. Yes, you have beautiful eyes," Aerith nodded. "The color of the sky…although, I'm scared of the sky."

The compliment was effectively ruined by this new confession. Was everyone in the Slums a wackjob of some sort? "What's so scary about the sky? I mean, okay, it can be a bit scary during a storm or something but the clear blue sky isn't frightening."

"It's the vastness," she admitted. "It's so big and wide, I just can't take it all in. It's too much."

_That's what she said! _Zack cleared the dirty thoughts from his head. "Well, next time you look up at the sky, remember my eyes and how you called them beautiful. The sky's beautiful too. And if you get out from under the Slums, you can use that sunlight to grow more flowers. Hey, even better! Why not start selling your flowers? 'Midgar full of flowers, makin' money by the hour!' A great slogan!"

"Hmm…not bad. Although I kind of sound like a drug dealer…"

"What? No! You have the best hustle ever! You have the seemingly sweet personality and everyone already loves you! They'll be happy to buy flowers from you."

"I'm only seemingly sweet?" she began but just then, Zack's cellphone rang.

"Zack, get the hell back to headquarters, we're under attack again!" Sephiroth's voice yelled at him from the other side. The man was breathing hard, as though he was running or fighting. Fighting with only one hand and talking on the phone with the other? Only him.

"Are you saying you need my help, General Sephiroth?" Zack said innocently. The fact that Sephiroth even took the time to call while in the middle of fighting made it even better. "C'mon…just say it…"

_Click! _

"Why does everyone hang up on me!" Zack screamed in frustration.

"You have to go?" Aerith's soft voice asked. He could see it in her eyes that she didn't want him to go. Well at least _someone _liked talking to him!

"Yeah. Duty calls. But don't worry, I'll call you tonight."

"Tch, where've I not heard that one before," she muttered.

"On my honor as SOLDIER, I _will _call you," he promised. He took a step toward her and gave her a small, awkward hug. He gave her his heartiest, puppy-dog wave of the hand before he took off down the street back to Shinra.

Tseng slipped away from his hiding spot and followed him.

* * *

><p>A month or so ago, I came across a Crisis Core parody series (SonsofSatire, YouTube) that was pretty epic. Figured I'd mention them now since I borrowed a line from them here. Go check them out…you're probably never going to look at these characters the same way again! Especially Genesis and Sephiroth…<p> 


	8. Genetic Idiocy

Had to do a bit of backtracking this chapter, something I meant to throw in a few chapters ago, thought I was going to skip it, and then realized that it was one of my favorite parts of Crisis Core and there was no way I was just going to let it go, xD! Other than that, enjoy!

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><p><strong>Genetic Idiocy<strong>

"Running revitalizes the mind, heart, and spirit!" Zack shouted out to no one in particular as he ran along the deserted highway back to Shinra. His happy, bright mood completely contrasted the surrounding area. Buildings were on fire and the sky was black from the rising smoke. Except for the crackling of flames, he couldn't hear anything else.

This would soon change when a rather tall and yet sickly thin creature landed on the road, a crimson trident of sorts in his hands.

"Wow, it seems Gen ran out of humans to imprint himself on," Zack noted, giving the creature an awed look. "Well, at least I don't have to feel bad about killing you then."

Two Vital Slashes later and the thing was indeed dead.

"Is that the best you can do, Genesis?" he yelled to the sky. "You just keep dropping off your stupid clones, but you won't defeat me! No matter what falls from the sky!"

"Even me?"

Zack screamed and turned around, only to see…Angeal. "Oh, god, I thought my mouth had overrun my ass and Genesis had appeared!"

Angeal frowned at him, his face twisting into a perplexed expression. "You mean, Genesis is scarier than me? He's a bishie, bishies aren't frightening at all!"

"Strong, beautiful men are all women want," Zack sighed. "Anyways, what are you doing here? And don't think I've forgotten about you knocking me all the way to the Slums!"

"You should be thanking me!" Angeal yelled, stepping forward with a finger in Zack's face. "Would you have met Aerith any other way? You, an upper-plate kid in the Slums? Ha!"

"Hey, I'm not scared of the Slums!" Zack countered. Somewhere, a car backfired loudly and he screamed again, cowering to the ground. "Okay, you have a point."

His mentor grinned, but the smile quickly faded. "Zack. I need your help."

The boy rose back to his feet and scoffed at the man, half walking away. "Why should I? You've gone pretty washy, Angeal. You're not the person I once knew, the man I trusted. The man I called my friend."

"Where's your SOLDIER honor? You're supposed to help others in need. Our enemy…is all that creates suffering." Angeal quietly bowed his head for a moment. "Please, Zack. It's the only way to progress the plot."

The younger boy sighed. "Fine. I'll help you. But you owe me one!"

Angeal walked past him and in that length of time, disappeared. Before Zack had a chance to look up, the man dropped down from the sky again and swooped him up. "Great, happy to have your support! Don't mind me if I break the laws of physics and carry you."

"You mean I get to be in the arms of an angel?" Zack asked happily.

As Angeal took off, he had the strongest urge to just let Zack 'accidentally' fall…

~.~.~

They arrived at Shinra via a giant gaping hole in the side of the building on the 37th floor. Sephiroth was there, fighting as he had been on the phone and taking on three of Genesis' copies at once.

"About damn time you got here," the General called over his shoulder. "I saw a few of the copies head down that hallway over there, go after them."

Zack nodded and was about to do that but just had to pause and ask, "Are you _sure_, sir, that you don't need a hand?"

Even without looking behind him, Sephiroth could hear that damn smile in his voice. Time to show him why he was admired the world over. With a quick swing, he cut down one copy, hacked off the legs of another and with a fierce punch to the stomach, he caused another to fall to its knees. Before it could get back up, Sephiroth grabbed it and violently tossed it out the hole in the wall.

He turned around, his green eyes lit with superior mirth. "Piece of cake."

At that moment, that same clone and several others flew into the hole and tackled him to the ground. One of them sat on his back and slammed his face into the tile, holding it there as it withdrew its rapier to cut his throat.

Angeal ran forward and booted it off of his friend, making it squeal in a sound that was like a cross of a pig and a dog. Sephiroth looked up at him in disturbance. "What the fuck…"

Angeal sheepishly scratched his head. "Heh…guess I don't know my own strength." But instead of taking it easy, he proceeded to kick, punch, slash and bite (yes, bite!) the other copies and dispose of them by throwing them back through the hole.

Zack would've loved to stay and watch but catching up with the escaped copies was a bit more important. He wasn't sure if the building had been completely evacuated and he didn't want to chance someone else being hurt. He gave a wave to his leaders before taking off down the hallway Sephiroth had instructed.

He quickly realized though that while the enemies might've gone down one hallway, each broke off into several others, making it rather difficult to tell which direction was the right one. Clearly they were getting smarter if they knew how to open and close doors behind them.

After a few misleads, he at last caught up to a group of robotic creatures that had entered the Science Department. Instead of aiming for anything in particular, they were only wrecking the lab. As Zack entered, they turned around and quickly did a bio scan on him.

_Zack Fair. Age 18. Weight: 167 lbs. Likes: pizza, squats, girls, MILFs, cookies, Call of Duty, Angeal—erm, Aerith, squats, puppies, more squats. Dislikes: Genesis. Destroy target!_

The machines let loose a barrage of bullets, all of which missed Zack without him even moving a muscle. Because Zack's awesomeness warded them off…or something…

"These things kinda look like roomba's," Zack noted, tilting his head to the side as he looked at the small, orange robots. "Hmm…"

Three seconds later…

"Weeee! Spin faster, spin faster!" he shouted, sitting cross-legged on one of the machines as it spun around in useless circles, trying to get a lock on him. "Wait! I know what would make this better!"

He got up and smashed one of the lab cages open and pulled something small out. He placed it on top of the 'roomba' and calmly the creature sat there. It was a kitten.

"The newest internet phenomenon! And yes, my kitten friend, you can has cheeseburger!"

He sat back and watched the robot spin around for a few minutes, capturing it on his cellphone for future use until he remembered he had a job to do. With much regret, he slashed the machine to bits (saving the kitten first), leaving sparking parts littered on the floor. At least it was interesting while it lasted.

That done, he proceeded back down the hallway until he came to the elevators. These ones were seldom used, mainly because they were only for certain personnel. Yeah, well, they were on terror alert level red and would have to excuse his breach of conduct.

For all the chaos happening in Midgar, the elevator seemed as though it hadn't been interrupted at all. Whoever had been operating the thing didn't even bother to put on a broadcast through the speakers that all hell had broken loose. Instead, Zack rode up to the 45th floor listening to "Forever Young."

By the time the elevator opened, he was screaming the lyrics out loud, figuring there was nobody around to hear him, and was quite right. "Forever young! I want to be forever young! Do you really want to live forever! Forever! Forrr-ever!"

"No, I don't, and I'd like it if you shut up about your youth!" A nasally, unmistakable voice cackled. Hojo's voice is what nightmares were made of…and daydreams of hitting the nerdy kid in P.E. with a dodgeball to the face. Oh, what Zack wouldn't give to do it!

"Hojo! Didn't expect to see you still alive!"

Hojo scowled at him before mouthing something that rhymed with "Luck Sue."

"Now, now, Hojo, that's no way to speak to our guest." The Redhead Wonder chose that moment to make his appearance, stepping out from…somewhere. "Hello, Zachariah."

"How do you keep getting my names?" Zack yelled at him. "Are you spying on me?"

"No, you dolt, your real name is in your files. Zachariah Belvedere Fair. If I were you, child, I wouldn't ever tell anyone my middle name," Genesis said, raising a dainty hand to his face to chuckle.

"Tch, and what's your name, huh?" Zack challenged.

"Genesis Camui Ga—"

"NO! Your _real _name!"

"Alright! Genesis *mumble mumble* Rhapsodos."

Zack stared at him. "You didn't even say your middle name."

Genesis' eyes darkened. "That's because I'd have to kill you if I told you. The mere utterance of my full name is enough to destroy this entire planet. It is _never _to be spoken." The malevolence vanished to be replaced with a smile. "Now aren't you happy I didn't tell you?"

"Would you two get out? I'm trying to work out the photoneurons of this molecular omnitrix capacitator and you're ruining my concentration!"

"You're only fixing your watch, don't toss around large, fake words just because you're a scientist!" Genesis yelled.

Hojo was forced to bear their presence, muttering dark curses at them as he indeed fixed his watch.

"Genesis! Don't you dare move a muscle!" Angeal screamed, bursting through the elevator doors. Out the corner of his eye, he could see Hojo throw his hands up in annoyance.

"So, the entire gang of Hollander's rejects is here," the scientist snorted. "Oh my, look at them squirm as they try to fight for their lives! Doomed to death and there is no cure! Bet you wish you had've been part of Project—"

"Runway?" Zack guessed.

"No more pop culture references!" Hojo snapped.

Just then, the elevator door opened again and Sephiroth appeared, looking breathless and disheveled. "What'd I miss?"

Genesis pulled a sheaf of papers out of his pocket and read over them, then stage whispered, "You're not supposed to be in this scene."

"Aw, shit, want me to walk back out or…?" Sephiroth suggested.

"No, no, we'll make it work," Angeal assured him. "Take it from the top? Good…and, go!"

"Genesis…I see you're degrading well," Sephiroth told him, nodding to his graying hair and faded clothing. The question hung in the air as to _how _the clothes were fading as well.

"You were _born _with gray hair, I don't want to hear anything from you," Genesis countered, walking away. The only sign of scientific experimentations in the room came from a large capsule-like structure that stood several feet away across a bridged platform. In the care-free way that only Genesis can, he summoned his energy and destroyed it.

"I'll send you an IOU for that later," Hojo said, still working on the watch.

The General looked at his friends with eyes that held a certain sadness. "I remember the good times when we were younger. When we'd sneak into the training room when the peon SOLDIERs weren't using it."

Angeal and Genesis couldn't help but grin as well, getting nostalgic.

_Simulation flashback enabled. _

"_Infinite in mystery is the gift of the Goddess. We seek it thus, and take to the sky. Ripples form on the water's surface. The wandering soul knows no rest." _

"Ooh, so you do know something other than Japanese pop lyrics," Angeal smiled.

"LOVELESS, Act I," Sephiroth spoke up from his end of where they were relaxing on the Junon canon. It was the view of the ocean that made the three agree that this was the best simulation location.

The other two looked up at him with stunned expressions. "Hey, you actually remembered!" Genesis babbled. "Great poem, right? Really touching?"

"No, you pretty much drilled it into my head," Sephiroth tapped the side of his noggin. "At meal times, in class, in the locker room while trying to follow me into the shower, while following me down the hall, when we go out for drinks. Genesis, you gave me no choice _but _to remember it."

The redhead gave himself a pleased smirk, uncrossing his legs and hopping off of his perch. "At least it made you notice me."

Behind him, Angeal made a noise between a groan and a sigh and straightened up. He pulled a standard issue Shinra sword out and began walking toward the living legend. "Let's begin, shall we? I have another date to get ready for."

"Where the hell do you keep finding these women?" Genesis asked.

"I like to date the least fanatic of my fanwomen. Oh, and Genesis? This time try to actually _fight _him instead of just touching on him."

The redhead brushed his comment off with a derisive scoff and the battle began.

Over the years, the two had continued their spar battles with Sephiroth, now mainly out of fun than truly wanting to win any prize. They enjoyed the fights and tried to act like their weirdly silver-haired friend was just any other teenager at the academy so as to at least attempt to give the boy a more normal upbringing (hard to really do that when your living situation is a science lab).

All was going well back in those days until a time when Sephiroth tripped over his own shoelaces, falling and hitting his head on a hard surface. All those that were around got the misimpression that Angeal and Genesis had actually succeeded in knocking out the great Sephiroth. And, as promised, they were moved up to First Class. Try as they might to correct the stories, nobody wanted to hear the real thing, too full of hope that they themselves might one day also defeat the SOLDIER.

And so here they were today, years later, trying to legitimately earn the title they'd been forced to accept. Angeal was going head to head with Sephiroth while Genesis looked for any openings that were presented but Sephiroth's inhuman speeds kept himself defended at all angles.

The man laughed at the repetitiveness of this, their futile attempts to bring down what had taken literally a lifetime to create. Angeal heard it in his voice and paused in his strikes. "All hail Sephiroth, eh?"

Genesis, on the other hand, wasn't to be thwarted so easily. "Angeal…stand back. I'm going to do something extremely stupid and foolish. I want to fight him on my own!"

"…sometimes, some people just need to get their asses kicked before reason sets in," Angeal said. "I'll be sitting right over here and when you're knocked back to the ground, whimpering in your wounded pride like a puppy, I'm going to calmly walk over, kneel down and say, 'I told you so'."

Having been oh-so-generously warned, Genesis readied his rapier again, this time with an electric charge. The two began to fight and for a time, Genesis was holding his own. But when Sephiroth got tired of playing around with him, he began to get serious. Not wanting to hear a certain someone's mouth once he lost, Genesis began to use energy spheres to surround and ultimately decimate the man.

"Damnit! Would it kill you to hold still?"

"Actually, it very well might. Because I'm not trying to find that out, I'm not going to just stand there. So, any other moves in your repertoire? Because all of this is nothing new."

Getting his way was something Genesis had always been accustomed to and without a second thought, he began to fling blasts all over, some of them sparking when they hit distant pinpoints, the edges of the training room.

Before he could fire off any more, Angeal was in his face, knocking his arm down. "Are you crazy? You're going to kill us all!"

"That's no way to talk to a sociopath!" Genesis yelled and gripped Angeal's face in his hand. He released an explosion, leaving his friend to fall helplessly to the ground.

Filled with bloodlust, Genesis began to attack Sephiroth again, his swings fast and powerful but concentrated only on a small portion of his opponent's body. Sephiroth was getting bored and decided to finish things quickly. A few sharp cuts of his own had Genesis on the defense and himself very nearly close to checkmate.

Except who should come rising from out of nowhere but the guardian angel of the trio. Angeal braced Sephiroth's last attack with the hilt of the Buster Sword on his back and blocked Genesis' swing with his other sword. But the attack was much too powerful for the sub-par Shinra weapon and easily broke through it, knocking his rapier off its trajectory. Before he could re-aim, the blade of Angeal's sword sliced through his shoulder and he knelt to the ground in pain.

The simulation ended, revealing the damage that'd been done. The two looked on at their friend in worried silence until Genesis spoke. "Ooohh, you two are in trouble! I didn't do this." And with that, he fled the scene of the crime.

_End simulation flashback. _

"You always were quite the bastard, Genesis," Angeal laughed. "Sephiroth and I were chewed out by Lazard for an hour straight, and then I chewed both of you out for two hours straight!" He shook his head sadly but happily. "We were banned from the training room for a year and I think that's when we started up the Yo Momma tournament, SOLDIER versus Turks."

Zack listened to all of this in amusement. Angeal tried to lead him on such a straight-arrow path of justice but it looked like the man wasn't completely without his own wild faults.

Genesis looked over at his shoulder, as though still feeling that pain from back then. "That's when it began, my degradation. Hollander beseeched you, Angeal, to donate some of your blood since we were born of the same project, but…it didn't seem to work."

That statement made something occur to Zack. "Wait, you guys share the same blood? Meaning…you have the same parents?"

"No, Zack," Angeal clarified. "My mother was the carrier of the cells that were injected into Genesis after his birth by his own mother. I was naturally born to Gillian, project G."

"Yeah but…you guys still have the same cells. From the same woman. You guys are practically half brothers!" Zack shouted excitedly.

The two men froze at that revelation. "I…kinda always wanted a brother," Genesis admitted. "A little one though, someone to boss around."

"And I always wanted a little sister, someone to protect," Angeal choked.

"Brother!" Genesis cried.

"Genny!" Angeal sobbed and they ran into each other's arms.

"Trying to fix my watch over here without throwing up!" Hojo shrieked at them.

The two pulled away, wiping tears off. "For the sake of this story though, we still have to be enemies," Angeal told him, dabbing his eyes.

"Yeah…I know. Gotta play the role of a bastard to the end." He gave a watery smile before launching another signature energy blast at the wall. "Come after me in five seconds," he called over his shoulder and was gone.

"I guess I have to sit this one out since I'm not even supposed to be here, huh?" Sephiroth asked, thumbing back through the script. "Well…have fun without me."

Angeal clasped his fist in a bro hug before picking Zack up in an arm again and flying off.

The boy spent the next fifty minutes in a grueling battle over an illegally summoned monster while Genesis and Angeal acted like they were fighting each other when really, they were divulging secrets to establish their sibling bond.

When he was finished, he waited around for Angeal to come swoop him up again but the man was nowhere to be found. So much for bumming a ride. He dragged his weary bones back to Shinra, which was already on the mend.

"Boy, don't you look like hell," Kunsel commented when he entered their dorm room.

"Mmgh," Zack mumbled and fell flat on his face in bed.

* * *

><p>Nothing really to say here. Gonna go finish off the awesomeness of Gankutsuou, another anime that might see a story or two from me, lol.<p> 


	9. To a New Post

**To A New Post**

(Crisis Core OST)

Zack's first image upon waking up the next morning was Kunsel sitting in his tighty-whites at his computer.

"Oh god dude, my eyes!" he screamed, rolling over and shielding his face. "_Tell me _you're not looking at porn!"

"Please, we've opted to be roomies for the past two years, don't act like you've never seen me in my underwear before," Kunsel told him in the most plactating of voices. "Besides, _you _have this seemingly asinine idea that you must have a room alone and like to walk around in here streaking! I don't want to hear your mouth just because I wanted to check my email this morning first before getting dressed."

_Touché_, was the only response Zack could give.

As he got dressed, he started telling Kunsel about Aerith. "She's this really pretty girl with long, wavy brown hair. And whenever the sun hits it just right, you can see streaks of auburn too. And she sells flowers, man. Real flowers! When's the last time you've seen a flower? With this artificial top-plate grass, hardly anyone has a real plant…well, except Angeal. And how the hell is he doing it? Anyways! She's really amazing…I think I'm falling for her…"

The entire time, Kunsel listened with extremely bored interest, continuing to surf the net. "Uh-huh," he said, without ever looking at Zack. Clearly the subject was dropped.

Zack had no immediate plans for the day so he figured he'd first get caught up on what was happening with Shinra. The first way was to sit and listen in on the SOLDIER conversations, and that he did, resting in the break area as two guys bragged to each other about the day before.

"I totally walked right up to Genesis' face and I told him, 'Listen here, Mister, just because you're a First doesn't mean you can do whatever you feel like. There's a new first comin' to town and that's me! So you better watch your back, buddy, because I'll take you apart limb for limb!' That really showed him!"

On second thought, these guys were going to make him throw up due to how sugar-coated with lies their stories were. Zack was just about to leave when a young face popped directly into his view, blocking his escape.

"Hi Zack!" The boy said, radiant youth and excitement written all over him. But Zack wasn't so thrilled to see him. In fact, he needed to get away. _Now_.

"Hello, Luxiere," he muttered, trying to step around him but the kid got in his way again, If adoration was a palpable thing, the kid would be swimming in it. Instead, Zack tried another tactic and whipped out his cell phone to act like he was making a call. Maybe the boy would catch a clue and go away. He dialed the first name that popped into his head—Sephiroth. Wait, _Sephiroth? _He conceded that he had a few bones to pick with the man anyways and instead of listening to the bogus stories of his fellow SOLDIERs, Sephiroth would give him the true facts of what happened.

He dialed the phone and waited. For the next five minutes, he sat and listened to _Smooth Criminal_ all the while throwing looks at Luxiere that clearly said _Go away! _But it was like the boy's gigantic smile rebuffed all negative communication. Naïve as the day he was born.

When it became clear that the great general wasn't going to pick up his phone, he was left with no choice but to sadly hang up and face the kid. "Guess he's not up yet…"

"Who, Zack?" Luxiere asked.

"Sephiroth," he muttered.

"Oh, Zack, don't you know? Mr. Sephiroth is in the data room! He's been holed up in there all day, hasn't eaten, hasn't taken any breaks and hasn't showered! And cell phones aren't allowed in the data room so that's why he's not picking up. I heard that he was looking into the history of the Science Department."

Zack didn't mean to but he let out a little gwaff of surprise. "And how do you know all of this?"

The smile actually faded for a moment and Luxiere shrugged. "Everyone knows."

"I didn't!"

Another shrug and then the smile was back. "Now you do, Zack! Don't worry, I'll keep you up to speed on everything happening here. You're a busy man, being a First and all. I can't wait till I'm a First! I want to be just like you, Zack! Have I ever told you that, Zack? That I want to be like you? Have I? You're my biggest idol!"

The compliment was that of a frothing fan and Zack felt it was sort of _Stan_-esque. He could only pray that Luxiere didn't have a room full of his pictures or something as well, nor would he kill himself with his worshiping. "Look, I really need to go…" and before he could be stopped, he made a break for the elevators.

"But Zack, wait—!"

But Zack was _gone_! He caught a lucky break that the elevator was just opening as he reached it, a woman in a lab coat stepping out and nearly getting bowled over as he stumbled inside.

"Comeon, comeon, comeon!" Zack frantically hissed, pressing the emergency close button rapidly. The door finally began to close, just in time for him to see the exuberant grin loping his way. The doors completely closed and Zack breathed a sigh of relief as he descended. Safe for a little while longer.

The elevator opened at the entrance to the Shinra complex, but out the corner of his eye, he could see his fanboy coming down the carpeted side stairs that led from the upper cafeteria. He looked at the exit. It was a fifty foot sprint. Could he make it?

Startling the hell out of everyone there (mainly important officials that were looking for a reason to invest in the Shinra company), Zack made a mad dash for that red exit sign. Behind him, he heard someone shout his name which made him pour on the speed even harder. He didn't stop running until he got to the top level of Sector 8, throwing a wad of cash at the train ticket window before grabbing a seat and ducking down low. He'd caught it just in time, for no sooner had he boarded did it take off.

But that didn't mean anything. Luxiere was a very determined individual and it wouldn't surprise Zack if he was latching on to the back ladder of the train.

Suddenly, the door to his compartment slid open and he sunk down even lower. He had nothing to shield himself and his clothes were the obvious storm black of a First. There was nowhere to hide.

The footsteps grew closer. Zack began to sweat. He could hear his heart beating in his ears. He could feel his chest straining to quiet his breathing. He could _smell _his own fear—not a very pleasant aroma.

And then…his stomach loudly grumbled.

And the footsteps stopped directly beside him.

He couldn't look up. Oh god, if he looked up, it would be like admitting he'd failed. And as his motto declared, _that _was not an option. Oh no, he was still there! He was watching him! Probably wondering what the hell Zack was doing curled up into a fetal position on the seat, his head nearly between his legs and shaking like a scared little bi—

"Ticket, sir?"

Now that didn't sound like Luxiere. Zack looked up into the face of a man he'd never seen before. The man was holding his hand out expectantly. "Ticket sir? Even Firsts have to pay to ride the train."

Zack gratefully dug out his ticket and gave it to the man who ripped it and gave back the stub, then proceeded his patrol of the car, already forgetting about him.

So it wasn't Luxiere at all. He sank back in his seat, breathing a sigh of relief that he indeed hadn't been followed—

"Hi, Zack!" the kid screamed, popping up from the seat in front of him.

"AHH!" Zack screamed and flailed awake. He cautiously checked the seat in front of him again. No Luxiere. It'd been a dream. Sometime during the fifteen minute ride, he'd fallen asleep and was now in the Slums. That was it, he was getting a restraining order against that boy.

Feeling twitchy and paranoid, he cautiously made his way through the Slums marketplace, heading for the large metal doors that would lead him outside of the entrapped area…and to the comfort of the church. Where a certain someone had been waiting to see him again.

"There you are, Zack! Been looking for you."

Descending from the sky oh-so-angelic-like was the honorable Angeal. Zack's nerves had been completely frayed from the last half hour and his brain didn't even care anymore of the younger SOLDIER caught up to him. Be that as it may, he was thrilled that it was only his friend dropping in.

"Hollander and Genesis have been spotted in Modeoheim," Angeal informed him. "I've notified Lazard and they should be picking you up soon."

"Yeah, well maybe I don't wanna go to Modeo…whatever! What the hell is going on here? What's going on with you, Angeal? I'm so lost and confused and just wish someone would explain everything to me!" Petulant Zack was not a favorable personality.

"In due time, I'll catch you up on everything," Angeal promised.

"Fine. But what _have _you been up to?" Zack asked curiously.

Graphic, XXX images of the night before filled Angeal's mind but his face remained stoic. "Nothing..."

Zack could only sigh, tired of being left in the dark. "I'm just not sure about anything anymore, Ange. It's like everytime I finally fix up one side of the puzzle, more pieces are dumped on me and they're harder and harder to figure out. None of this makes sense."

"Great poetic skills you got there, Zack, maybe you should look into publishing some," was Angeal's way of saying 'I kinda don't care.'. "Well, I'm a busy man, things to do, people to see. We'll talk again, I promise. Till then, adios!" And in a flurry of white feathers, Angeal was gone.

Zack trudged on. "I think I'm starting to develop abandonment issues."

At long last, he reached the blessed steps of the church. He was very close to pulling open the door when a voice spoke to him from behind.

"She's not there."

Great, just one more thing to go wrong today! He turned around to see Tseng regarding him in that bored way as always.

"Now how do you know that, huh?"

"Confidential Turk information."

"Yeah right, I think that's code for you've been spying—"

Zack was interrupted as a low-flying helicopter entered under the plate and settled down in front of them.

"We need you in Modeoheim," Tseng informed him. "We believe that's where Genesis' army, the Literate Union, has set up their new base."

The SOLDIER huffed, but walked towards the chopper anyways. If Aerith wasn't there, he had no reason to stick around. And like hell was he going back to Shinra anytime soon! So he decided to comply.

What he failed to notice was the white feather that settled on the church doorstep.

~.~.~

Inside the helicopter were three other people. Ignoring Tseng (who was ignoring everyone anyways), there was the pilot and some peaky looking guy sitting in the co-pilot seat. He was holding his stomach and looking absolutely miserable.

"Hey buddy, you okay?" Zack asked him, shouting over the sound of the propellers.

Face shielded by a helmet, the guy tried to put on a brave face and epically failed. "I…hate heights."

"Aw, don't even think about it! It's beautiful to be up this high! Going through the clouds, the world like a patch-work quilt below us! And it's like you get to become part of the horizon! Beautiful."

"Actually…I also hate movement," the guy said, his face suddenly turning green at the mere mention of the word.

"This is peaceful, dude! I mean, I really prefer a plane but it's not so bad once you get used to it."

"And I have an acute case of claustrophobia."

"...Well damn. Don't think I have any cures for that."

The man gave one pathetic whimper of warning before completely losing it.

Several death-defying seconds later and Zack came back into consciousness with his face buried in snow. Pulling himself up, he noticed that everyone else was pretty much in the same position but all of them were thankfully getting up as well.

"Thanks to this fucking rookie over here vomiting on the controls and shorting the whole system out, we have to walk!" The pilot screamed at the masked infantryman, who hung his head in shame. Behind them were the smoldering remains of the helicopter.

_Ooohh, so that's what Square Enix forgot to mention. No wonder! _

Tseng stood up and brushed his still impeccable, wrinkle-free suit off. "Thankfully, we have someone here who's skilled in this type of terrain." He looked pointedly at Zack.

The boy shrugged. "Yeah, yeah, I'm a country boy. Okay, everyone follow me!" And with that, he led the way.

Or so he thought. Somewhere within the first twenty minutes, he realized that the infantry guy was actually keeping up with him. "You from the countryside too?"

The guy nodded meekly. "Yeah. Nibelheim."

"HA! _Nibelhiem? _Fuckin' country bumpkin!"

"Hey! Where are you from, huh?"

"Me? Gongaga."

This made the other person fall into an utter fit of laughter, leaning on the side of the snowy mountain they were walking along to catch his breath. "Southern redneck!"

"What do you know about Gongaga?" Zack snapped.

"Nothing. It's just such a backwater name!"

"Ditto Nibelheim!"

"Like you know about Nibelheim!" the man said heatedly, quite intent on defending his hometown.

"You're right, I don't," Zack admitted. "But it has a reactor, right? A mako reactor outside of Midgar usually means—"

Together: "Nothing else out there."

They both froze and stared at each other in a moment of complete understanding, almost a deeper understanding than most husband and wife. "We really are from the country, aren't we?" Zack whispered.

"Git 'er done!" The guy smiled.

"Yeah, no, not _that _country," Zack shuddered. Turning to the others who'd fallen way behind, he shouted out, "Yo! It seems that me and…" he trailed off, looking expectantly at the other guy.

The helmet was finally taken off and Zack's first thought was What the hell did he do, dodge sunlight his entire life? Then his first real view of the man was of limp, sweaty blonde helmet hair that miraculously sprung right back into shape seconds later, as though an invisible stylist had run up and primped him. He also realized that 'man' was not the proper term to describe the guy, who was actually not even that tall either. That could be quite attributed to the fact that he was much younger than him. "Cloud," the boy supplied his name, clearly still in the grips of puberty.

Zack nodded at him and addressed, "Me and Cloud here are both backwater experts, oh yeah!" he cheered, doing an excited air thrust.

"Great for you!" Tseng shouted back. "For the record, it's a little hard to walk in snow with patent leather shoes."

"Excuses, excuses!" The First shouted back and both he and Cloud shared a laugh, instantly becoming besties.

As they talked and walked along, Zack came to know more about him. Cloud too had been immediately impressed with the glory of becoming a SOLDIER and, of course, being like Sephiroth (Seriously, they made those army commercials so enticing, with explosions and fight clips worthy of any Jet Li movie and even making long, flowy hair look downright manly). Since Cloud had somehow become a troublemaker in his village (Pfft, ha!) he had nothing else to really stay for except to leave and come back proving to everyone that he'd become a successful hero and that they should all kiss his ass.

…Except Cloud had been too scared to even try out for SOLDIER directly and instead went the much longer route of becoming an infantryman first. Which, on the Shinra ladder, was the lowest of military positions (Tseng wasted no time in shouting up to them that Turks were number one). Zack was amazed at the initial guts the kid had but also felt kinda sorry for him. Just another young soul trying to carve a place for himself in this world.

Then something occurred to him and pulled up short to actually examine the teen. "Cloud...how old are you?"

The boy looked at him with his naturally blue eyes—no mako needed—and blinked. "Fourteen."

"Mhm. And what's that on your back?"

Cloud stupidly had to check behind him. "My gun?"

"Are you old enough to drink?"

"No."

"Are you even old enough to drive?"

"Not yet."

"But you're old enough to have a gun."

"…"

Zack facepalmed. "What the FUCK! That's it! I'm done, Square Enix! My brain is tired of trying to comprehend and make sense out of your plots and characters! I'm through!"

The older boy stormed off and Cloud was left wondering what he'd done wrong…

* * *

><p>This chapter seems much shorter than the other ones, but forgive me since I was on a bit of a time crunch. It'll be made up with the next chapter...I hope (lol!)<p> 


	10. Shadow of the Day

Last chapter I titled after a Crisis Core soundtrack song but it wasn't until several days later that I actually compared the song "To a new post" with what plays when Zack meets Cloud…and realized that while similar, l had it wrong, lol! Cloud's introduction song is a cute little melody called A Moment of Courtesy. Screw it, they indeed did go to a new post so I'm leaving it as is! Just know that that chapter was supposed to be dedicated to Cloud :)

* * *

><p><strong>Shadow of the Day<strong>

The going was slow for the group and it was late afternoon before they reached the high bluff above the compound where Genesis was supposedly hiding. "A winter fortress. Does it get anymore cliché?" Zack asked.

"Um, Zack?" Cloud asked, becoming shy and bashful which somewhere, a fangirl has squealed at the mere thought of. "Do you think…I'll ever become a SOLDIER?"

Zack blinked, then doubled over laughing. "Not a chance! You suck at basic infantry work! And being a SOLDIER means riding on helicopters, planes, trains, chocobos and anything else that moves! Just…stay where you are."

"You could've lied to me, you know…" Cloud mumbled.

"Blatant honesty is the best policy, Angeal taught me," Zack said.

"If you two are finished with divulging your pathetic lives to each other, we have a mission to do," Tseng announced. "Zack, you'll infiltrate the compound. The grunt stays with me."

Cloud's depressed sag fell even farther.

"You'll need to sneak in without getting caught," he went on. "There are also five chests that hold valuable supplies in them. Retrieve these as well. During this mission, your body temperature will drop. If that happens, do your usual thing. You know…that barbaric squatting in the mud thing you SOLDIERs love to do so much."

"Uh, yeah, speaking of cold…I like how you dragged me out to basically Antarctica without so much as a jacket," Zack brought up, then pointed to the younger boy. "Cloud, aren't you cold?"

Cloud had to pause and think about it for a moment. "…no. Am I supposed to be?"

"Well, considering how pale you are, this probably is your normal climate," Zack shrugged.

"Nibelheim doesn't get a lot of sun!" Cloud defended, his boyish voice sounding more feminine than masculine.

"It's okay, we all know you're a vampire," the SOLDIER told him and casually strode down the hillside to position himself at the fortress entrance. Take out a few bad guys, raid a few treasure chests, break down the doors and rescue the princess!

Well, Genesis…same difference…

"Here we go!"

While the easy answer would be to say that he kicked ass and cleaned shop in under three-point-five seconds, the reality wasn't so glamorous. Zack was caught. Multiple times. Oh, they weren't the stupid guards of yester-year, the days where if you stood still hard enough, they would walk right by you even if you were basically in plain sight. Or if you made a noise, the lookouts would only inquire as to who was there but never actually get up and check. Or, easiest yet, you could throw a coin down the hall and the guard would either be dumb enough to stop and pick it up or figured the noise came from that continued direction. No, these guys actually had the capacity to _reason _and to understand that when an object is thrown, the source of the movement came from the opposite direction.

And yes, Zack tried this. When the guard ignored the coin in favor of looking behind him, Zack was caught with a face that basically spelled out "Yeah, I'm fucked."

"You know what? That was so sad, I'm going to act like I didn't even see it," the guard said, laughing and shaking his head. "Go on, you get a do-over. And please, for the love of Minerva, don't just stand there like a frickin' guppy—"

"You won't have to worry about that anymore," a new voice said and before the guard could blink, a bullet pierced between his eyes and he fell to his knees, the lopsided smile still on his face.

Zack looked at him in horrified silence before turning around to see Tseng casually putting his gun away. Behind him was a trail of bodies. "A gun and a silencer. Thirty seconds. Mission accomplished." As he passed by him, it was impossible not to miss the added snort of "Told you we're better."

As Cloud meekly followed the older man, Zack also didn't miss the barely concealed smile on the boy's face. So everyone was getting a laugh in! Fuming, he was made to stomp after them as they entered the compound.

Many pointless fight scenes later, complete with heavy metal background music, Zack stepped out of an elevator that led to the fortress basement to see…Hollander and Genesis.

"You wouldn't! You need me, Genesis!" the scientist begged, backing away from his creation who was pointing his sword in his face as he advanced. "Besides, I'm your biggest fan of Banora White juice! See, I wear a T-shirt with your logo on it all the time!"

"No, the truth behind the project (obligatory theme song reference!) is that I'm the first person to come up with the idea of making apple juice! Yes, I alone, at the tender age of eight, came up with Banora's most common-sense product after centuries of poverty! There's orange juice. There's grape juice. Hell, there's even cranberry juice. But who would've _ever _thought to make apple juice? I became a child millionaire over night, making me even more filthy rich and obnoxious and I won first place for my 4H project. Happiest day of my life…"

Zack snickered. The idea of Genesis being in an agricultural club tickled his funny bone.

"Hey, where did Tseng go?" Cloud whispered to him.

"He…decided to investigate the place…" Zack answered cautiously. Truth was, Tseng had come across, ahem, the remains of those that were no longer with them anymore and not having had a fix since the discovery of Genesis' parents, he couldn't resist any longer. Zack was seriously not trying to dwell on the matter.

"Oh, look who showed up, Zack the Mongrel and…some no-name nobody," Genesis commented, glancing over at them. Hollander took that second to turn and make a mad dash for the exit.

"Cloud, capture him!" Zack ordered, while he himself went to block Genesis from escaping too.

Cloud caught Hollander in a full nelson but the heavier man reared an elbow back and knocked the boy in the face, loosening his grip to where he slipped away. Wanting to do his part, the blonde got back up and chased after him…still always three paces behind the overweight guy in flip-flops.

Genesis began to circle Zack for a moment, both of their swords withdrawn as they sized each other up. "Hello, _Genny_. Still dying a slow and miserable death, I see."

"Do you say that to cancer patients?" Genesis asked smoothly.

"You're not going to guilt trip me."

"Hmph." Genesis dropped his sword, walking away with his head held down as though his mind were too distracted to be bothered with fighting. Quietly he muttered, "'Sekaii de ichiban ohime-sama. Sou iu atsukai kokoroete yo ne?' Miku Hatsune, _World is Mine_. Yes…yes the world _is _mine…"

Zack's face broke out into a grin. "You do realize that the first line loosely translates to 'Number one princess in the world', right? Well, it was only a matter of time before you revealed yourself—"

He didn't get to finish as Genesis did a surprise charge attack on him, gliding across the floor with his physics-defying one wing. Zack raised his sword to block him and was nearly too late as the red blade swept only inches from his face. The two fought swiftly, but no blasts were exchanged…which Zack was thankful for considering he wouldn't surpass the more experienced SOLDIER in materia combat.

Instead, the redhead gave him a perfect opening and he gladly took it. Just as Genesis was about to do a cross-slash to his chest, Zack brought a hand up and…chopped him on his degrading shoulder.

"Augh!" the man cried out and immediately dropped to his knees, sucking his teeth for a very prolonged period of time.

"Payback's a bitch, bitch," Zack smiled, standing over him.

"It…won't end this way." Genesis stumbled to his feet, teeth grit in pain and slowly backing up. The only thing behind him was a rail that did little to seal off the endless depths of the compound. "I won't be defeated by…the likes of you…"

"Hey, what are you doing?" The boy asked, taking a step forward as a means to try and stop him. Instead, Genesis summoned his strength and flew into the air, landing with perfect precision on the rail despite his injury.

"If this world seeks my destruction…then it goes with me." With a final haunting smirk, Genesis allowed himself to fall over backwards, weightless.

"NO! Fly, you moron, fly!" But as Zack peered over the edge, all he could see was a never ending darkness.

~.~.~

He waited in front of the entrance back out into the chilly air of Modeoheim for the others to show up. Cloud appeared first…without Hollander.

Before Zack could even say anything, Cloud blurted out, "Okay, so I failed _another _assignment, I'm a failure, I get it!"

"Actually, I was really going to say—" But Zack was cut off by the arrival of Tseng, who was zipping up his pants.

"What'd I miss?" The Turk asked.

The other two shut their mouths immediately and without another word, began marching quickly into the depths of the snowy village.

~.~.~

Not much remained of the old mining town and its last large structure happened to be a public bathhouse. As Zack scanned the now empty baths, he whistled to himself. "You know, a little renovation, I bet I could get this place up and moving as a ski resort. And I could spend some one on one time teaching Aerith how to snowboard…Hey Cloud, wanna be my business partner?"

Cloud was reminded of his one and only time snowboarding, an effort to impress a pretty girl back home. With absolutely no practice, he attempted a run down Mt. Nibel…

His memories of what happened next pretty much ended there, followed by weeks of being in a body cast. "I think I'll pass…"

As they went through a doorway on the second floor of the building, a large mutated creature burst out from behind a stack of bath salt crates. The creature had a bird's head, the front feet of a chicken, the back legs of a lion and greatly resembled—

"Buckbeak!" Cloud shouted joyfully, actually running forward. Tseng reached out a hand and pulled him back.

"Harry Potter is forever done, go geek over something else now," the Turk snapped.

"You two go on ahead! I'll handle this," Zack instructed and thankfully without any protest, they slithered around the winged creature and ran on.

Before they'd even been gone for a full ten seconds, the monster was dead and Zack artfully twirled his sword around to replace it in its holster. A floor above, the pubescent sound of screaming reverberated through the walls and he took off running to go save the runt's ass.

It would seem though he was too late. Lying on the floor was Cloud, who was barely breathing. Against a wall, Tseng was slumped over, gripping his side in pain.

` "What happened? He asked the Turk first.

"Another…griffin attacked us," Tseng gasped out. As he talked, Zack searched himself to find a cure materia. "The noob tried to hop on it and ride it and it got pissed and mauled him pretty badly. It got one good swipe on me as I tried to aim and shoot it."

Zack nodded in understanding. Finally finding the Curaga, he absorbed it into his palm and touched Tseng's injured ribs. They healed immediately but he knew from experience that that meant nothing. The man was still going to be shaky for awhile and would need some rest. Once he was finished with him, Zack made his way over to Cloud. Although…he could've sworn he saw Tseng give a nearly imperceptible headshake, as though not wanting him to heal the half-dead Cloud…Oh. Right.

Following his better judgment, he performed a Curaga spell on the infantryman as well, patting him on the shoulder. "You'll be alright, dude. Stay here and rest up. I'll explore the place on my own." He rummaged for another materia, a deep purple one that he inserted into his other arm.

"Barrier no jutsu!" he called out and the two collapsed people were encased in a force field. He nodded in satisfaction before taking off up another flight of stairs.

After a series of small battles more annoying than random Pokemon encounters, Zack arrived on the top floor. In a similar setup from the scene in Genesis' hideout, Angeal was there, pointing his sword in Hollander's face again.

_Really, you'd think by now they'd have just killed him. _Stepping further into the room, he did the honorable thing and got inbetween the blade and the scientist. "Angeal! Don't do it! Remember your honor!"

"My honor is why I want him dead!" Angeal yelled, trying to get around his protégé. "I'm a complete monster because of him!"

"You're complete perfection, is what you are," Hollander corrected. "Genesis was a failure, born with a severe identity crisis that makes him think he's a Japanese pop idol! But you…you're everything your mother and I hoped you would be when we started Project G."

"Don't speak of my mother!" the man screamed, nearly knocking Zack over as his fury made him take another swing. "And you're not my father! He died a long time ago!"

"Did he?" Hollander asked. "Sure that wasn't another Shinra employee I simply paid to take care of you because I couldn't be bothered with having a child? Just as I did with Genesis?"

Not having an answer, Angeal was forced to pause. Before he'd begun treating everyone like a complete asshole, Genesis had always wondered about his true origins. He questioned his foster parents daily, almost to the point of obsession, and some sleepovers Angeal was made to hear the boy crying quietly in the night and calling for a mother and father that would never come.

Of course this did not excuse him from being a bitter bastard, but Angeal tried to be understanding of his pain.

"You're still not my father," he finally spoke up. "I actually resembled my father…unlike I do with you."

"We have the same hairstyle," Hollander pointed out.

Angeal shrugged. "True, true."

"Now that that's cleared up, we can take Hollander into custody and get help for you and Genesis!" Zack babbled, hope filling his eyes. No more talk about being a monster, no more one-winged angels, no more Gackt lyrics! Peace could be restored to Midgar, the fangirls could keep on drooling, and maybe he could make something happen between him and Aerith.

"No, I must pay for the sins I've caused," Angeal stated. But _of course _he would. "I once told you Zack that our enemy is all that creates suffering. Well…I created my own suffering."

"Oh come on, that has got to be the _lamest _reason to kill off a character—" Zack countered, but was interrupted.

Before anyone could stop him, Angeal held up an arm and beckoned to something behind them. A stampede of Angeal's own copies rushed forward, as though greeting their master. Instead, they all attached themselves to his body, like a massive leech orgy…Zack cursed his inability to create decent analogies.

The grotesque form in the middle of the room began to glow and Hollander made a break for the door, a hand over his mouth. Zack couldn't fault him. What was left standing wasn't Angeal anymore. He truly had become a monster. And a SOLDIER's duty was to protect the public against monsters. Oh, Angeal…

"You know, I have half a mind to just leave you looking like that," Zack informed him. The Angeal monster gave him a pleading look. "Yeah, let's see how many fanwomen still want you when you look like that!"

The creature gave a disgruntled grunt before thrusting out the star-pointed spear in its hand, scratching Zack's face in what was to become another classic anime scar.

"Ouch! Fine, I'll put you out of your misery! But you owe me one!"

Except when it was all said and done, he realized there wasn't any way for someone to repay you for putting them out of their misery because…well, they're dead.

Or dying. The deformed creature had reverted back to the shape of a man and Angeal lay gasping his last few breaths. Like Genesis, his hair, face (and yes, clothes) were the ashen gray of degradation.

Angeal coughed and dust came out. Both of them looked at it with equal expressions of surprise. "Well then…" Angeal murmured.

Zack knelt next to him, realizing what he'd done. "Angeal…I'm so sorry."

A small headshake. "No. You did the right thing. With my death, Hollander won't be able to create any other experiments. Zack…you have my thanks."

Zack began to openly sob now.

"This is for you," he heard his friend say, and pulled his hands away from his eyes to see that he was holding up the legendary Buster Sword.

Okay, so there's no real legend to a sword that's never even been used before but it still sounded cool.

"No matter what, protect your honor. Always." Angeal rested his head on the ground, so tired and only wanting to rest for a few moments. Tomorrow morning, he'd be back at the academy, teaching the rookies like always.

His tomorrow would never come.

The night sky was clear, not a single cloud to be seen and yet it still began a steady shower. Zack would've made a Square Enix joke but his heart just wasn't in it at the moment. Instead, he tipped his head back and let his tears mingle with the rain.

~.~.~

"Hey, Zack? I've been thinking." Aerith stood in the pulpit area of the Slums church, a single beam of sunlight from Midgar's setting sun shining down on her. "Why not just create a flower shop? Then people could come to me instead of thinking I'm some beggar girl on the streets. And I could charge people ridiculous prices for the flowers I sell, like Vera Wang! Zack…?"

"Long ago, just like the hearse you died to get in again…we are…so far from you…" Zack sobbed on the other side of the church, sitting with his back to the girl.

"I understand your friend just died but you don't have to go all My Chemical Romance on me, complete with the panda eyeshadow," Aerith huffed. But then she felt bad. It wasn't every day a girl got to see tough men break down in tears in front of them. Her mother had tried to push her on Tseng once she'd realized that the man harbored feelings for her, but Aerith had resisted. Now she was happy that she had.

Swallowing her usual crass comments, she walked over to him and knelt, wrapping her arms around his chest. She didn't say anything. Nothing needed to be said. A death is what it is. A loss, a moment of grieving, and finally, a time to say goodbye.

* * *

><p>Terrible time to write this chapter…a friend of mine recently revealed that a family member of theirs has passed away. Yes, this was an up and down chapter, folks.<p>

But with that said, I have about two more chapters I want to write based on Crisis Core before I at long last break free with the recap and get on to the true plot of this story. No, I've not forgotten, lol. And I really hope I've not disappointed anyone with the fact that this so far indeed has been a recap. I kinda couldn't help myself; writing fanfiction is the closest I'll ever get to doing an abridged series, xD! But anywho…whether you laughed, cried or did both, leave a review!


	11. Bridging the Gap

Wow, it's been over a month since I last updated! Sorry guys…it's my first semester juggling both school and a full-time job and I'm still adjusting ^_^

Oh! Speaking of work! Most of you reading this are already Kingdom Hearts fans so this might tickle your funny bone as it did mine. I work as a webchat sales consultant (sales via the computer). A few weeks ago, I got a chat from a guy by the name of Axel! Real name, spelled A-X-E-L, not Axl (like Axl Rose) or anything. Then a few days ago, I got a chat from a guy named Roxas! Now Axel is a roughly common-place name but to be named Roxas? Oh, I couldn't help myself. I had to tell him that he was named after one of my favorite fictional characters. He laughed and said, "I know what you're referring to." Squee!

Unfortunately…both chats kinda ended badly. Axel was paranoid to shop online and Roxas had an account error that I sadly couldn't fix and had to transfer him to another department…which I know irritates people but there's only so much I can do. Poor guys.

Anywho, here's a long chapter to make up for my absence. Read at leisure!

* * *

><p><strong>Bridging the Gap<strong>

The months after Angeal's death (and Genesis' apparent suicide) became a time of change for Zack.

Starting with his hair.

No one exactly _said _anything…but Zack could feel the disapproval radiating from them. Tseng shook his head sadly, Sephiroth couldn't even look him in the face as Zack gave him a debriefing of a mission he'd just finished, too enamored with his fringe-less hairline, and Aerith only picked up the remaining strand and gave a feeble, "Well…it's…not _bad_ exactly…" Which Zack took to understood that yes, it was that bad.

Well, fuck 'em all! He liked his hair. He didn't look so young and puppyish anymore. The old him seemed to have died along with Angeal's death…it seemed appropriate that he shed his boyhood along with it.

But who was clearly still in the grips of boyhood was Cloud and today, Cadet Strife had beseeched him to keep him company on a trip to have his left ear pierced. All the other boys in the academy had one, sporting the wolf mascot of SOLDIER.

"Now are you _sure _you want to do this, Cloud?" Zack asked as he sat beside him on a stool. He glanced over at the man that was to do the piercing and inwardly shuddered at how every part of his face had something stuck in it. And as if that wasn't bad enough, his sheer tank top revealed that his back also held the markings of hooks that'd been put into them…one of those extreme thrillists that liked to hang by their skin in the air, just dangling like a ragdoll, with no caution to the skin ripping—

Zack stopped himself before he vomited all over the floor.

Instead, he focused his attention on the tense blonde sitting in the guest of honor seat. He was trying so damn hard to be brave but his shaking hands gripping the arms of his chair called bullshit on his courage. The man leaned forward and swabbed his ear with alcohol and then used a pen to mark his targeted area. The earring was fitted easily into the gun but before the man could do anything else, Cloud suddenly jerked and his eyes bored into Zack's with the terror of a rabbit about to be attacked by a tiger.

Zack looked down and realized that Cloud had flipped over his right hand so that the palm was upwards. He actually wanted him to hold his hand. And from the desperate look on his face, it seemed that right about _now_ would be a good time to do that.

Reaching slowly, he placed the tip of his fingers in Cloud's palm but the boy completely enveloped his hand in his fingers and held on for dear life, making Zack's entire arm shake from how hard he was trembling.

"Okay, on three it goes in!" The man told him and smiled a smile that would've probably been a nice smile were it not for the strange look of satisfaction on his face at having what could be considered a new victim to work on.

"Three!" He shouted and there was a loud trigger sound, followed by an even louder scream.

And to top this momentous moment off…Cloud fainted.

~.~.~

"…Who all knows about it?" the boy asked some hours later when he woke up back in his dorm room.

"Well, I had to carry you in on my back through the front doors so…everyone?"

The blonde gave a rather loud and disturbing groan before rolling over on his bed and covering himself with his surrounding pillows. In his effort to be badass, he'd come out a failure…again.

But that was a month ago.

This month, it seemed that Shinra had run out of things for him to do and for the first time in his SOLDIER career, they'd sent him on a vacation to Costa del Sol. What he really suspected was that with the sudden absence of Lazard, Shinra wasn't trying to keep the First Classes on the payroll all too much since in all honesty, they were supposed to be making a hell of a lot more. So, by sending him on a vacation to a town they practically owned anyways, it was no cost to them. And everybody's happy.

Except Zack.

Day three found him doing squats on the beach. He ignored the mothers who hurriedly grabbed their children and dragged them away from the potentially unstable guy or the girls who stared admiringly at his abs. No, he could care less for any of that.

His mind was back in Midgar, at a certain church located eastbound in the Slums. Where a girl with pretty brown hair with hints of red was tending to a patch of flowers and—

Now who was this cute caramel-colored thing? Wait…caramel?

"Hi, Zack!" Cissnei greeted him, wearing a yellow two piece.

"What is this, Shinra vacation week?" Zack asked, pausing in his squats so that he could finally stand still. Then he looked up the stairs that began the path down to the beach and saw a flash of black pull itself back around the corner.

"I see you, Tseng!" He shouted. "Who the hell else would wear an entire frickin' suit to the beach?"

Tseng stepped out from the shadows, pulling at his collar uncomfortably. "I forgot my swimsuit," he muttered.

"Bullshit, you're on assignment to follow me and because you don't know the meaning of 'vacation', you _had _nothing else to wear!"

The Turk paused and shrugged. "Okay. You got us. What are _you _going to do about it?"

Having no answer, Zack turned to Cissnei and suggested, "Why don't you two go sight-seeing. I need to make a call."

"To Aerith?" she asked knowingly.

"How do you—?"

"She doesn't deserve you," Tseng quietly muttered to himself. "She needs a real man with a real career. A Turk can take care of her like a proper princess. My beautiful Aerith of the Ancients."

"Just so you know, we all hear you, Tseng," Zack informed him.

"Have you ever heard of the Ancients?" Cissnei asked.

"No, but I'm going to assume you're about to tell me, right?"

"Who spat in your Mako this morning! Anyways…the Ancients were a group of people thought to have roamed this planet only loosely known as Planet thousands and thousands of years ago. They're also called the Cetra. All Cetra knew how to speak with the Earth Mother, Eywa and thus were the Planet's guardians. But eventually, the Cetra got tired of having to listen to Eywa and they quit tending to the earth in favor of other things like…having kids…and juggling careers…and updating their status on Facebook…"

"…Cissnei, is that really how the story goes?" Zack figured to ask her. "I mean, I think I caught a James Cameron reference in there."

"Ugh, they're boring!" Cissnei groaned. "They're dead corpses now.—" Tseng perked up with interest—"Talking about the Cetra is like talking about the first hunters and gatherers of the planet, nobody cares!"

As though understanding that she didn't want to continue her monologue on the planet's history, a commotion broke out down by the shore. Several men in scuba gear popped out of the water, assembled rifles already on their shoulders.

Cool and smooth as they brag to be, Tseng pulled his gun out from his jacket and Cissnei, with no regards to modesty, whipped a small pistol out of her bra and began to fire. The bullets bounced off of their metal armor and the three of them barrel rolled out of the way as they ricocheted back.

"Where's your sword?" Tseng called over the sound of the returning fire from the beach.

"I…left it back at Midgar," he said lamely.

"Are you serious? You never go anywhere without a weapon!"

"Hey! Use brings about wear, tear, and rust, and that's a real waste!" Zack defended himself.

"Whatever. You're the one with all the brawns and very little brains. I'll cover you while you go find something to fight with. We Turks don't do close combat."

"Yeah, I noticed," The SOLDIER snorted before getting up to indeed find a weapon. Nothing was in sight and even worse, he was completely exposed with nothing to defend himself with or even to hide behind. The scuba guys noticed him and fixed their laser red eyes on their new target.

With nothing else close at hand, Zack cart wheeled to the side and picked up a rainbow stripped umbrella and readied his stance. He didn't miss the sound of a facepalm from behind him.

"For Aerith of the Pink Ribbon!" he shouted out and charged down to the scuba guys, slashing wildly. In fact…the umbrella did just as much damage as his sword would've! He watched in amused wonder as the small numbers of experience points floated above them with each strike and cheered everytime he got a Critical Hit.

Soon the ground was littered with scraps of metal, most of the bodies having faded away. But a few still remained and these, Zack took the opportunity to examine up close.

Genesis clones. The snorkeling edition.

"Even from the grave, he's trying to kill me. Why, so I can join the Lifestream with him and be stuck with him forever?"

_Yeah, something like that, _came a very familiar voice.

He didn't dare breathe but you have to breathe to speak. "Angeal?"

_Nobody really ever dies in the Final Fantasy universe. There's always _some _magical plane that everyone can go to and continue to live on. Nearly every Fantasy game has one and ours is the Lifestream, which circles the Planet and thus…I can still communicate with you. Oh, and do me a favor? Pass on to Tseng that Genesis' parents didn't take too kindly to being fondled. Mrs. Rhapsodos is trying to see what legal actions she can take to sue him. He'll probably be receiving a court summon soon. _

_ It takes too much energy to communicate with the living, much like a ghost that wishes to interact with those that are within their haunting grounds, so I won't be able to do this often. Remember though, Zack, always protect your SOLDIER honor…_

The connection was lost and Zack was left without the voice in his head. Which, as crazy as it sounds, saddened him. His inner turmoil was ruined though by Cissnei and Tseng running up to him and clapping him hard on the back.

"An umbrella! That was amazing, Zack!" Cissnei appraised him. He didn't miss the subtle rub on his biceps either, of which he ignored. She had her chance, Cissnei of the Carmel Hair. She shouldn't have played hard to get!

Besides…Turks and SOLDIERs could never be together.

_Shiiiit, why not? I did it! _

"Angeal, stay in my memories. Where you belong."

_Oh! Reference! Reference! I got it! I know where you got that! Pick me—!_

Zack smacked himself on the side of the head which effectively silenced his ex-mentor. He didn't offer any explanation to the Turks who'd seen it but Tseng looked pleasantly pleased that he was showing a weakness, another point to prove that his kind were better.

But all of that became background noise once he was again strolling the streets of Midgar several days later. Hoping he wouldn't be interrupted this time, he stepped through the church doors to find…

That Aerith seemed to have picked up a new pet.

"Zack! You're finally back!" She let go of the creature and flung herself into his arms. He hugged her full-force, not even minding that she smelled of roses and vanilla (ahem, Sephiroth) again.

"When'd you get a dog?" he asked. Then he looked closer and saw that if that was a dog, someone had pretty much removed all vestiges of its breed in favor of metal plates on its hide. To further make it a genetic anomaly, wings protruded from its back, one much longer than the other.

"I came into the church a few days ago and he was sleeping on the flowers in the sunlight," Aerith explained. "I gave the poor thing the lunch I'd brought with me but you know how that goes. You feed an animal and you'll never be able to get it to leave. But that's alright. I've named him Tenshi."

Angel. It was fitting. Zack knew exactly where this creature had come from. Meaning he was still being stalked!

At least he didn't actually have to care for it. He'd seen Sephiroth upholding his promise to Angeal that if anything were to happen to him, he would take care of his dogs and it was rather hard to keep from laughing as the great Sephiroth was dragged along by two Great Danes as they went for a walk.

'Tenshi', as Aerith had called him, was standing in the pulpit area within the one beam of sunlight that fell from above and examining something rather intently. A bird that'd been taunting him swooped down a little closer to try its luck and instantly became dinner. In one vicious snap, the bird was chewed and swallowed. Happily, it leapt into the air and settled down for a nap in the rafters.

Zack swore now that he would never again watch Animal Planet or the Discovery Channel.

"Erm, hey Zack? I decided to take you up on that idea of selling flowers to people," Aerith announced, quickly trying to put that disturbing scene behind them. "But I sort of need a way to transport them. Figured a flower wagon would work and compiled a list of all the items I'd need."

He took the list she held out for him and found most of the items rather basic and rudimentary, but they'd certainly get the job done. He nodded his approval with a smile.

"And after this, I can upgrade to that flower shop I've always wanted! And get a house! And get married! And have lots of kids! Oh Zack, it's perfect!"

The 'marriage' word is no word any young man wants to hear and he froze at the fact that she meant _him_! "Uh…right! Any other wishes that you have?" Might as well hear them out now, pick if it was worth sticking around.

"Yep! I have twenty-three wishes—"

"But a bitch ain't one!"

"…"

"I'm sorry, what were you saying?"

She pulled a sheet of paper out of her pocket and began to scribble on it. When she was done, she handed that to him as well. The wishes were the kind one asks for before they die, grandiose and expensive. Right now, Cissnei of the Carmel Hair was looking like a much better investment…

"Go on, go get that stuff!" Aerith commanded him, pushing him towards the door. "I want to start selling by tomorrow!"

The door was slammed in his face before he could even protest.

And so it began, the treasure hunt for the flower wagon materials. He got the wood he needed from the paranoid guy he'd met in the Slums market during the chase for that pickpocket. In fact, the little boy that'd robbed him offered up a rag-tag set of tools that he could use.

"Not because I like you or anything, but I don't mind helping Aerith," he'd told him. Someone needed to give that boy a swift boot to the ass.

He was heading up the stairway to Sector 8 to bargain with a man he could get some tires from when his phone suddenly went off. At least it was something a lot more decent this time, a short tune that had a victorious quality to it. He flipped the phone open to see that he had a text…from Kunsel? Did something happen back at headquarters? He clicked to open the text and realized that clearly, no danger was afoot as this was the longest text message his roommate had ever sent him.

_Hmmm, I wonder where you might be._

_Wait, let me guess…_

_You're hanging out with that Aerith girl again, aren't you?_

_I bet you're wondering how I got that information._

_See, I know everything about you, even if you never tell me anything. _

_In other words, it's no use keeping secrets from me, because I know how to get information. _

_So, talk to me, Zack. You can tell me anything. _

_Tell me about all the things that are wearing you down. _

Zack had to read through that twice and when he was finished, he felt that a new rift had opened up between he and his friend. Was this…a threat? Was he also trying to keep tabs on him? He was reminded of the fact that Kunsel was better suited for the Spy division of Shinra (or even more specific, the Turks). And while Zack was a close friend of his, he certainly wasn't his only one. What connections did Kunsel have?

And then another thought hit him and once implanted, it was impossible to uproot it from his brain: Kunsel was hitting on him. "You can tell me anything" and "Tell me about the things that are wearing you down." Those were the words he expected to hear from Aerith.

Speaking of her, was that a sneer he detected with the words, "That Aerith girl"? Kunsel was jealous! It all made sense! Kunsel had never been interested in hearing about his relationship progress with her, opting to completely ignore him. Now he knew why.

And now he had to break it to his friend gently that he just didn't share the same feelings back. Whoa boy, this was going to be a rough night. He'd been running to complete his gathering of the items but now slowed down to a crawl. He wasn't looking forward to going back to Shinra.

Of course nothing he plans ever works out. Aeirth called him at that moment to yell, "Hurry up, it's been four hours already!" With great reluctance, he traded his few remaining gil for the tires off of an old Shinra model truck and lugged his wares back down to the Slums.

The tools that he'd been lent were seriously sub-par but they did the job and within the hour, Aerith had her flower wagon. It resembled a baby carriage but Zack figured beggars can't be choosers.

"Hmm…I don't like it. I want another one," Aerith huffed.

He stood corrected.

"What's wrong with it?" Zack sighed. He wasn't in the mood for her sassiness.

"I don't know. I just don't like it."

"It's cute. And you know it must be true for a guy to use the C word," he said honestly. "Besides, it was made by me! The Zack seal of approval!"

"Whatever that's worth," she muttered.

Zack stared at her and for a moment, he had a very vivid thought of him kicking the wagon into one of the pillars before yelling, "You can build your own fucking wagon then!" but…Zack is a gentleman and would never do that.

What he did do however was set the tools very pointedly in front of her, then gave her the okey-doke that they were all hers. He'd done his part. And with that, he left.

But to where? To go back to his room? Which he still shared with Kunsel, two years later. Why were they still sharing a room? Most of their old classmates had places of their own now. They weren't obligated to remain in the barracks. Who's idea had it been to consistently remain roomies for all of those semesters? He figured it was probably an agreement on both halves but still—

And all his musing had unknowingly brought him back to the building anyways. He entered into the front doors and waved with forced cheerfulness at the receptionist there. She signaled him over, holding up a blue Post-It.

"You have a new mission, Zack! Something pretty big! General Sephiroth told me to tell you to meet him in Director Lazard's office." Clearly humming with extreme excitement, she handed the Post-It to him but not before noticeably rubbing her fingers across his as he took it. Somewhere within the last few months, she too had hopped on the Zack Fair fanclub wagon and now, she was nearly (but not quite) as bas as Luxiere.

"Thanks," he said, said, holding up the note with the instructions to the room lest he forgot them. "See you later, Claire."

As he walked away, the entire first floor (including those in the Exhibit Room) had to have heard her squeal at the fact that he'd used her name.

He contemplated about whether he should visit Kunsel first but balked at the last minute. Instead he kept going until he reached the 65th level.

Sephiroth was already in Lazard's office when he entered along with someone Zack had never seen before. Blonde hair was brushed neatly back from the man's face and he couldn't have been much older than the general himself. While he'd never seen him in person, he'd have been a fool not to recognize who it was. Rufus Shinra.

"And so the prodigal puppy arrives," the future heir said. "Although looking at you…I don't think puppy fits you anymore."

Successful haircut? Check.

"You and I are going on an important mission," Sephiroth told him, flipping his tresses over his shoulder so that he wouldn't sit on them as he sat on the corner of the desk. It was as though he'd aimed a scent laser straight at him, and now the entire office was filled with the smell of roses and vanilla. It made him miss Aerith. Or…maybe it'd been Sephiroth he'd missed? Damnit, today was making him question his sexuality!

"I want you to round up a few of the troops who will be attending with us. I already sent one person to start but I want you to double-check their selection," Sephiroth went on, oblivious to Zack's inner turmoil. "Go get ready; we leave in twenty minutes."

"Oh, and one more thing," Rufus spoke up, methodically filing one of his nails as though it were a boring ritual that he'd done every single day. It probably was. "If you see Lazard, tell him the deal is off. He'll know what I mean."

Zack nodded curtly and headed back to the elevator again. There couldn't be any more dodging of the upcoming issue now. He would have to go back to his dorm room to grab his stuff and he took that time to rehearse his speech.

But when the doors opened, he about walked right into Kunsel, who was randomly standing in the hallway, reading the bulletin board. "Hey! How's it goin'? You get my text?"

"Yeah…um, Kunsel, about that—"

"Man, look at those circles! Didn't you just get home from vacation? You did actually rest when you went, right?"

"I guess, although I spent most of the time keeping Cissnei and Tseng from getting too drunk since when hammered, Tseng likes to sing depressing karaoke songs and Cissnei practically starts stripping on the counter, but that's beside the point—"

"Hey, have you heard? A lot more Genesis and Angeal copies are being seen around the city. Shinra's deployed some advanced robots to fight them though they're not totally effective and some of them glitch and attack the civilians. We have to fight with the Security Department for rights to clean up the mess since they truly believe they're way more effective than we are. It's pretty pathetic—"

"Kunsel, do you like me?"

The boy faltered to a halt with a rather peculiar look on his face. "Um…yeah, I guess. Why?"

"I mean…you know…do you _like _me, like me…"

"…Zack…"

_Aw crap, I hurt his feelings. This is it. Our friendship is about to fry in the atmosphere with no hopes of salvaging it. If he had've been open to begin with—!_

"What in the _hell _are you talking about?" Kunsel all but screamed for the entire floor to hear them.

Somewhere, a record came to a screeching halt. "You mean…you don't like me, like me? But what was all that stuff in your text about 'I know everything about you' and 'you can tell me anything'?

"I practically _do _know everything about you!" the boy clarified. "You're fucking basic like cable! And you _can_ tell me anything you'd like. Doesn't mean I'm always gonna listen, but you can say it to me if it makes you feel better."

Now Zack was getting confused. "And what about that line regarding how 'it's no use keeping secrets'? That you have ways of getting information?"

Mako blue eyes rolled up into the fringe of reddish-brown hair. "SOLDIERs gossip more than housewives; news spreads like wildfire and hardly anyone's business is ever just their own. Everyone knows something about someone and if you sit still long enough, the news you're looking for is bound to trickle down the ladder."

Finally Zack exploded, "And what about you getting upset that I'm with Aeirth?"

"Who said I was mad about you being with Aerith? Did I say I was upset? I was simply making an observation that you were with her again. Was I right?"

"…yeah," Zack admitted reluctantly.

"Okay then. All that text was saying was, 'Hey buddy, know you got yourself a girl but don't forget your buddy Kunsel and if you need anything, you know I got your back. Bros before hoes.'"

Well then. Didn't that just totally blow apart his initial idea!

"Say, speaking of Shinra gossip, Sephiroth was looking for you. Specifically," Kunsel told him. "Gotta be pretty important if he didn't even waste his time with trying to call you first and wanted to see you in person."

"I've already seen him. I leave in twenty minutes. Well…fifteen now."

Kunsel paused and shuffled his feet nervously. "You know, I kinda have the impression that we won't see each other for a long time. Just an eighth sense I have."

"Kunsel, we only have five," Zack corrected.

"Yeah, well I have eight. Don't patronize me. Anyways, before you embark on this epic journey, anything you'd like to say to me?"

An option's list popped up above Zack's head:

A: "See ya later, alligator!"

B: "You can have my porno stash under the bed."

C: "I love ya, man!"

. Zack picked the non-existent D and told Kunsel, "We'll meet again soon. No need to get all deep and sentimental on me. I'll be back before you know it." He clapped his friend on the shoulder and passed by him to start his packing.

Meaning he missed it when he muttered, "I truly hope so."

Halfway down the hall, Zack saw a figure leaning heavily on the wall, head bowed as they either tried to catch their breath or was having a public breakdown.

Happened to be a cross of both though leaning more towards the second one. Zack immediately recognized that poof of blonde hair and went to check out what was wrong.

"Heya, Cloud. What's up?"

"I'm trying to get the troops together like Sephiroth asked, but nobody wants to take orders from an infantryman," he mumbled, bottom lip trembling as he held back tears.

D'awww, Zack just wanted to snatch him up and give the poor little golden retriever puppy a hug! Ahem. Must stay focused.

"Tell them you're on orders from Sephiroth and if anyone wants to defy those orders, get their name and report them for giving you undue strife (no pun intended). They'll learn that unlike Firsts, they don't have the right to refuse missions and also, you'll get some respect for having been given instructions from Sephiroth himself."

The tears vanished and Cloud's blue eyes instead filled with hope. "Yeah! You're right! Thanks, Zack!" He happily ran off down the road and Zack found himself staring after him with fondness. It was like having a little brother, maybe.

But there wasn't any time for that. He finally reached his room and for the umpteenth time, packed a large duffle bag full of clothes, some bare essential hygiene products and of course, no field pack is complete without a can of Tactical Bacon. Yes, bacon in a can. Many a time he'd had to fight off his own comrades as they came sniffing around and begging for some. There were a lot of things that he was willing to share, but Tac Bac just wasn't one of them. Not at 17 gil a can. Instead, he politely wrote the web address down where he ordered them from and left it at that.

Finished, he surveyed the room and was reminded of Kunsel's words, that he very well might not see it again for a long time. Well, the most important thing in it was currently strapped to his back, the Buster Sword. He wondered if Kunsel might get a new roommate in that time, or move out altogether. Well, they couldn't stay roomies forever. It was another change that was impending on the horizon. But he'd deal with that when he got back.

He strode back down the hall and into the recreation area of the floor. There, three other infantrymen stood, loosely in formation. Sephiroth chose that moment to enter and Zack smiled broadly at fourteen year old Cloud trying to be like the big boys. With the entrance of the general, the "men" stood to attention, arms folded behind them professionally. "Sir!" they promptly greeted him.

As a First, Zack was the only one that didn't have to salute and so, he didn't. Instead he asked, "Where's this mission taking place?"

Sephiroth sighed and waved his hand in the air in a bored sort of way. "We have to check out a Mako reactor in some podunk little town called Nibelheim."

Cloud gasped behind him, but stifled it by burying his face in the scarf around his neck. He was…going back home? Where Tifa would see him again…

He knees began to knock together as he started to shake. Nervous constitution, just like a Labrador.

"Alright, let's make this quick, men," Sephiroth instructed. "Wanna be back home in time to catch the new season of House." And with that, he led the way.

* * *

><p>In case you're curious, yes Tactical Bacon is a real thing. And while I too am curious to try it, it is indeed $17 a can. That had better be some of the best damn bacon I've ever had!<p>

Again, sorry for the delay. Probably could've had this out a tad bit sooner had I not gotten carried away with things like…Nyan Cat videos…sometimes I wonder if I'll ever fully grow up ^_^


	12. A Whole New World

What's this! An update after *months* without one? She lives!

That's probably not a major deal since some people usually only update every few months but I'm used to doing so at the longest, every two weeks. After months, I wonder if you guys even remember what this story is about, xD! But enough of that! Originally, the Crisis Core recap half of this story was to be twelve chapters; however, unless I did a major montage, I'd either be skipping most of what happens or this chapter would be much longer than it already is. I figured making it two chapters was the lesser of two evils.

Without further ado, enjoy!

* * *

><p><strong>A Whole New World<strong>

Zack winced as the train hit yet another bump. He'd noticed that the closer they'd gotten to their destination, the more the railroad quality became poorer and poorer to the point where he was quite afraid that the train would hit one good pothole and that'd be it; over the side of Mt. Nibel they'd go.

And then…there were the turns. As they climbed higher up the mountain, Zack had slowly been leaning farther and farther to his left, which then pushed him into Cloud (who was not handling the journey well _at all_) and that in turn pushed Cloud farther into Sephiroth. The general sat closest to the window and hadn't spoken a word to the others since they'd set off hours ago. That is, until he saw something outside that finally made him comment.

"What the hell is _that_?" he pointed.

"That would be a goat, sir." Cloud responded, looking at the elderly woman ushering a goat up the steep cliff. "Sir…you've never seen a goat before?"

"I think Hojo showed me some pictures of them from books at one time, but hell, I never knew they really existed!" Sephiroth told him, his voice filled with awe.

_Poor, depraved child, _Zack shook his head.

Sephiroth flattened his face to the glass, reaching behind him to quickly tap Cloud's shoulder. "Okay, and what's that?"

"It's called a donkey. People ride them or use them to carry their belongings on long trips." _I'd much rather ride one than be on this train, _Cloud left off.

"Don't they just have cars?" Sephiroth snorted, his breath fogging the glass that he was still pressed against.

"No sir. Nobody has the money for a vehicle here."

"What the hell is this, a third world country?"

Cloud chose not to respond lest he told his commanding officer something that'd ensure he never wore a Shinra uniform again.

Once the train docked at the station, the three gratefully stepped off, followed by a fourth person who'd very briefly introduced himself as "Bob" way back in Midgar. Sephiroth led the way for a time until they came to the wooden arch over the town, where he paused and addressed the blonde again (who was hoping that he had no further insults about his town to give).

"This is your hometown, correct? How does it feel to be back? I don't have a hometown. Or a mother, though I think her name is Jenova. And Hojo I think adopted me but I sure as hell am not calling him my father! Do you know what he got me for my eighth birthday? A frickin' electric collar that didn't allow me to go further than fifty feet away from him! And when I finally had enough and tried to kill him, they strapped me to a gurney for fifteen hours until I could "behave." So yeah, fuck family! Who need's 'em? All they do is abandon you or let you down…or break your heart."

Zack did find it ironic that except for himself, the other Firsts were now parentless despite being less than ten years older than him. And for everyone else, they were missing one or the other. Was a two parent family condemned in this damn universe? Then again, the greatest characters are always parentless…Like Batman!

Sephiroth had ended his depressing monologue and led the way into the town. The place was completely empty except for two individuals who stood outside the town inn. One was a man with a camera around his neck. The other was a girl…hello, lips, legs, breasts and—

_She's underage, Zack! _He chided himself. _You're now eighteen, you can't just eye them like you used to…_

"Cloud, do you know her?" Zack turned to ask him, but Cloud seemed to have frozen. Furthermore, he'd put his helmet on and lowered his head to where he couldn't see his face at all. "Hey, lil buddy, you okay?" He poked him in the arm which seemed to prove too much for Cloud since the boy shriveled in on himself, as though wanting to condense into nothingness. Zack quirked an eyebrow and left him alone.

"Mr. Sephiroth! Mr. Sephiroth! Can I get a photograph?" the other man said, holding up his camera to get a good shot in. Sephiroth whipped the door of the inn open and slammed it before a picture could be taken.

"You can take a picture of me!" Zack said, hopping in front of the man. "Just because Sephiroth is camera shy, I'm not!"

The guy stared at him for a moment before asking, "And who the hell are you?"

Zack stood up proudly. "Zack Fair, SOLDIER first class!"

The man snorted and turned away, mumbling, "They're makin' em a dime a dozen now." To which Zack would have the man know that basically he and Sephiroth were the only Firsts left. But he got the hint. Nobody but darling Sephiroth would be captured. Well, at least he had his fanclub back in Midgar. They still loved him!

Inside the inn, Zack found that Sephiroth had already paid for their rooms. There weren't any regular key cards for the doors; Nibelheim was at least fifty years behind on technology. The meek Cloud that followed behind him didn't seem to mind but Zack would have a fit if he found out the room didn't have cable.

As it turned out, that would be the least of his worries. Sephiroth had gotten one room only…with three beds. And guess who should be stretched out on the very first one, legs and arms spread out as though making a point that he had claimed _all _of the bed?

"Yeah, Shinra didn't give us enough money for this mission so I could only swing one room. Zack, you've seen battle. Sleep on the floor and let the other two have the beds."

"Seph! That's not fair! Just because I've been to war that means I have to sleep on the floor?"

Sephiroth pushed himself up on his stomach, a hand under his chin. "One, please tell me that rhyme was an accident. Two, yes it is fair. You've slept in dirt and mud with bombs falling around you. Cloud is what, twelve?—"

"Sixteen, sir," Cloud corrected.

"Close enough. He's not experienced the same hardships, Zack, as you and I. Let the kid have the bed."

But Zack wasn't ready to let this go. "I went to Wutai and was there for three hours! I didn't sleep on anything! I'm just as inexperienced as Cloud! I don't wanna sleep on the floor!"

"Fine, if you're going to be such a bitch about it, share the bed with him then! Either way, I'm going to sleep. I want this mission done and finished as soon as possible." And with that, Sephiroth rolled over and threw the covers over his head. He was snoring in seconds.

Bob was already sleeping on the second bed, leaving the one closest to the wall empty. The last two looked at each other for a moment before Zack made a mad break for the bed, beating Cloud due to his mako enhancements. "Ha! My bed! You sleep on the floor!"

"Fine! Have it!" the boy whined. "I'm going to sleep in my own home, in my own bed! With food made by a woman, not disgruntled army cooks! And when I wake up in the morning, there won't be a long line for the shower. When I fall down and hurt myself, my mom will kiss it and make it all better! So there!"

He turned to walk out of the room when Zack called to him, "You're going to let your mom know that her son is an absolute failure and couldn't even get into SOLDIER?"

Cloud froze. _I have a feeling this is not the way the story was supposed to go. _"I…I actually wanted to ask if you would mind coming over for dinner with me so I could tell her that," he said, giving him pleading eyes. "You're right, I never told her. I never told anybody…not even Tifa." He seemed hurt most of all that he couldn't tell whoever this Tifa person was the truth about himself. But he straightened up with a resolute nod, becoming more confident. "I have to come out to her. It's the least that I can do. I don't want to live a lie all my life—"

"Cadet, any other day, I would be absolutely _ecstatic _that you're coming out the closet to your family," Sephiroth suddenly interrupted. "As it is, I'm tired. Your back-assward's town is depressing me and if it wasn't for the fact that this mission is so simple, I would've caught the next pony express out of this dump. In short, I'm going to have to ask that you keep your gay bananza to yourself until the morning."

"But I'm not—!"

"Not another word, Cadet!" And the man was asleep again.

Zack bit his lip to keep from grinning, then threw one of the pillows on the bed at Cloud. "Nighty-night!"

The boy took the top comforter and huddled down on the cold floor, cursing Shinra to hell in his dreams.

~.~.~

Of course, a man nowadays wasn't even entitled to his dreams as his were ruined upon someone stepping on him as they got out bed. Zack's other foot tripped over Cloud's leg and he went down with a loud crash.

"It's too early for all that noise!" Sephiroth screamed, tearing off the covers to hop out of bed fully dressed, boots, sword and all. He was going to yell more, but released it in a sigh. "I need coffee. And I missed House. You'll have to forgive me that I'm being such a bastard. Just…let me get some caffeine and we'll be off."

"And now I see why they moved him to only instructing the academic classes," Zack muttered, watching him leave. He looked back at Cloud, who'd picked himself off the floor and was texting something on his phone.

"I told my mom that there was something I couldn't wait to show her," Cloud said, flipping the phone shut. "Figured it was the closest to a heads up I could give without telling her that I was actually here. You're…coming too, right?"

"Yeah, totally!" Zack said, truly enthused. "I ate at Angeal's mom's house one time, I swear, one of the best meals ever! Too bad she had to go and die though."

Cloud gasped in horror.

"I mean, she went peacefully! It wasn't like she chocked on a bone or something…"

By now, Cloud had dropped the pillow and blanket he'd used and was still staring open-mouthed.

"And thankfully she died when I wasn't there. I mean, I was only gone for a few minutes but I guess she had enough of living. Kinda wish she'd lived long enough to make one more meal. Would it have killed her? Wait, whoops—"

"Zack! Just shut up!" Cloud screamed, rubbing his arms in discomfort and walking out the room.

"Tch, nobody appreciates hearing a good compliment these days," the First muttered and followed him outside.

Up bright and early were the same two people that were there when they'd arrived, the girl looking like a slice out of a Western come to life and the photographer still simpering up to Sephiroth for a picture as the general ignored him in favor of straightening his gloves. Sephiroth didn't seem to take notice that Cloud had put back on his helmet but Zack did and wondered about it until he saw the discrete glance he gave the girl. Ahh, it was about her again.

"I'm Tifa Lockhart, your tour guide for the day," she finally revealed. "It's an honor that Shinra is visiting our small town."

Zack heard Sephiroth give an almost inaudible groan.

"But wait! Before you go, please, just one picture?" The other man begged, of course not looking at anyone but Sephiroth. "This is probably going to be the most interesting thing to happen to this town for the next century! Seriously, look around you. Do you know what my 'highlight' of the year is? Writing about Groundhog Day! Some people have lived their entire lives here and without fail it is still the most popular article that this town cares for. The only damn thing they want to know is did the rodent see his shadow or not. Like it matters, this godforsaken town is in a constant stage of winter anyways! So please…for their sake and my sanity…just _one _picture."

Sephiroth was not known for having a heart. But he clearly felt sorry for the man. With a great sigh, he nodded. "One picture."

But Zack just couldn't deal with that. He hopped into the picture at the last moment, striking a pose, just as Tifa also rushed in and thus, the iconic picture was taken. The man protested the inclusion of the other two but Sephiroth stuck to his word and refused to allow another photo. As the group headed up the path to Mt. Nibel, Zack pulled the Polaroid from the camera, grinned, and stuffed it away. There would be no record that they were ever there.

Up the mountain the five of them trudged, Tifa stopping periodically to point out the wildflowers she knew. It wasn't until she pointed out a sunflower and Sephiroth lopped its head off with his sword that she stopped giving a botany lesson and stuck with just leading the team.

And lead she did! Through dangerous caverns and up slippery slopes, Tifa clearly showed she knew where she was going. Which was good because if Zack had to be honest with himself, he would've been lost two hours ago at the first fork in the road.

They came to a long wooden bridge, swaying in the high mountain air and looking for all the world like the most cliché, untrustworthy bridge in the history of cliché. But without hesitation, Tifa began to cross it, unfazed by the large gaps in the planks that led to a bottom that couldn't even be seen from that height.

Without hesitation, Sephiroth followed her and the ever-silent Bob after him. Zack took one step and felt the entire structure sway beneath his feet. He would've said screw it were it not for Cloud giving him an expectant look, as though there was absolutely nothing wrong with the bridge. He gave a deep gulp and took another step. And another. And another. He was doing it!

And then, he wasn't. A loud crack rang through the air and then he was falling. As he fell, he noticed that the others seemed to have fallen through the hole as well, sent into spirals that were almost acrobatic. By an unspoken rule, everyone clutched onto Sephiroth.

"Oh, I know what the hell this is!" He yelled, trying to fight them off. "You're going to use my body to cushion the fall! You selfish bastards!" Having said that, he created a shield around himself which slowed his descent. By default, the others landed safely on the ground too, soft as a feather.

Zack breathed a sigh of relief and did a head count. Tifa, Seph, Cloud…someone was missing.

"Where's Bob?" he asked.

Sephiroth shrugged. "Who knows? I didn't see him in the shield with us. Either way, we need to get going, we don't have time for this."

"Time for this?" Zack repeated. "A man just _died_! Are we going to act like that didn't even happen?"

"Well, yeah," Tifa said, not understanding his hostility. "I mean, people die here all the time."

"Listen to yourself!" Zack was screaming now, his voice ringing in the canyon. "Bob had a wife! Kids! He existed! If his only role was to have a dramatic death here, that sure is one hell of a way to honor him!"

"Zack, look where you're at," the general told him, turning to begin climbing back up the steep cliff. "Everyone has a dramatic death. Bob had his five minutes of glory and that's it. End of story. You'll get yours too, don't worry."

"…I wish you could hear how that just sounded," the SOLDIER told him as he unwillingly followed his lead.

Finally back up the mountain, Tifa led them in an alternate route (would it have killed her to have done that the first time?) and at long last they made it to the reactor. Tifa wanted to follow them in, but Cloud, or in her eyes, a masked infantryman, held her back.

"Top secret Shinra facility, no one but authorized personnel can enter," Sehpiroth told her,

"I'm the one that led you here!" she protested. "Which surprises the hell out of me that Shinra is the most technologically advanced corporation in the world and yet can't afford enough to give you a GPS, making you rely on a defenseless fifteen year old girl to be your guide!"

Sephiroth didn't even try to argue with her. "Never said it made sense." He began the walk up the unnecessarily long ramp that led to the reactor's door.

Zack made to follow him when his cellphone vibrated in his pocket. He looked down to see that Cloud, who was standing basically right next to him, had texted him (forget the wonder of him even being able to text on the mountain at all). _Hey, I was going to ask mom if she could make haggis for dinner, it's kinda my favorite. Is that okay?_

Zack struggled to remember exactly what haggis was and vaguely remembered hearing about it on the Travel Channel. Let's see…made from sheep…and something about livers and kidneys? Or was it livers and lungs? Zack didn't want to be culturally rude but he had to admit: it wasn't appealing. Instead he texted back, _Sure! Sounds delicious! _

Seconds later, the reply came: _Gee, thanks Zack! You're the best best-friend EVER! _

He would've thought Cloud was being sarcastic but the beaming smile he was giving him said otherwise. Zack gave a nod before joining Sephiroth in front of the reactor. Before they went inside, he turned to wave at the other two.

The next time he stepped foot outside, his life will have changed forever.

* * *

><p>In memory of Bob, the forgotten guy, XD<p> 


	13. The World's Enemy

My first chapter of the new year! Well…first two chapters. You know how I said I'd be wrapping this up with just one more chapter? I realized that there was too much left to cover that would not fit into one chapter. I'm still unsure how this turned into being a game recap, lol. But alas, these two chapters will finish it off. Of course it's froth with stuff that never happened in the game, just so you're not reading the exact same thing but I hope you guy's enjoy it ^_^

* * *

><p><strong>The World's Enemy<strong>

"A mako leak in one of the containers has been observed and we're just here to repair it," Sephiroth told Zack as they entered into the reactor. The younger SOLDIER looked around the room and saw nothing too appealing. Rows of pods lined a flight of stairs though…what's this? At the top, in giant letters for the entire world to easily read, was the word 'Jenova'.

Sephiroth glanced at it, then shrugged. "Must be a coincidence. Surely my mom wouldn't be in _there_. Must be someone else named Jenova."

Zack stared at him in disbelief. "And just how many people do you know named Jenova?"

The general rolled his eyes and walked up to a pod, checking for damage. "Please. Who knows, it could be the next 'Brittany' or 'Jason' or whatever. Sure it's uncommon now but in ten years, you'll be sick of all the Jenova's you'll meet."

If only he knew.

In the oh-so-subtle way of Sephiroth, he changed the subject by gesturing to the pod in front of him. "This one has a broken valve and that's where the leak is coming from. Zack, seal the valve. Then we can finally get the hell out of here."

"You're standing right in front of it, why don't you do it?"

Sephiroth reached beside him and with his thumb, clicked Masamune out of the sheath, exposing an inch of the blade. "What was that again?"

"I have a sword too, you know," Zack grumbled, but moved closer to get a better look. The valve was lacking a handle to properly seal it with but luckily, he happened to have an all-in-one survival knife kit and switched it to a tiny wrench which he used to turn the spoke where the valve once was. And with that, it seemed their time in Nibelheim was done.

But Sephiroth was preoccupied with yet another pod, looking a bit green in the face. "What, allergic to mako and don't like the sight of it?" Zack teased, but stepped forward to have a look as well. And stifled a scream.

"We're all made from mako, idiot," Sephiroth told him. "You regular SOLDIERS just have mako in you. But I'm…more modified. Ever since I was a child, I knew I was different. Those monsters in there are Hojo's work from countless experiments…experiments gone wrong." Then a horrifying realization came to him. "Am I…a monster too?"

At that moment, Zack only had enough time to register a bright orange ball being thrown at him before he was engulfed in flames and knocked to the ground. Sephiroth on the other hand, merely raised his arm and the second fireball dissipated before it even touched him.

"You're right, Sephiroth," came the unmistakable silky sneer of Genesis, floating to the ground. "We're all the monsters of Shinra."

"So I see you haven't kicked the bucket just yet," Zack gasped, holding his side and trying to get back on his feet.

"No, Zachariah, much to your dismay, I'm still very much alive," Genesis smiled, rubbing a hand tenderly across his face. "At least…if you can even call this living. On top of the graying I now have wrinkles."

Zack squinted at him. "I'm not seeing anything."

"Here, right in the middle of my forehead, when I crease my brow."

"That happens to everyone!"

"Not to me, it didn't!" Genesis screamed, dramatically covering his face with his hand, as though ashamed. "Botox made sure of that. And now, with me degrading, my body is rejecting it. Which is why I _have_ to find a cure. And Sephiroth," he slowly turned his head to his old friend, a smile forming that Sephiroth knew didn't mean anything good. "You're the one that's going to help me."

"Sorry, can't, I'm late for the new season of Jersey Shore," Sephiroth told him, and tried to brush past. Genesis extended his wing to block his exit.

"Project G created monsters like Angeal and I, born of his own mother, Gillian. Project S gave birth to you and you only, Sephiroth. Since you have Jenova cells within you, your body doesn't degrade like ours. That's why I need you to share your cells with me, so that I can finally be whole."

"I'm not a viable donor, remember?" Sephiroth said evenly, trying to keep his patience in check. "Remember your tantrum in the training room when you wrecked it and Angeal's sword cut your arm? Even after leaving us to take the blame, I still offered to give my blood and was denied. It was Angeal that gave his. Clearly, I'm not a good fit for you."

Genesis crossed his arms, chewing his lip nervously. "So, what, I just die then?"

The sigh Sephiroth let out contained so many regrets, not only for himself, but simply for the way everything had turned out. "Seek a support group, get some counseling—"

"What support group is there for this! What therapist can I tell? And when did you lose sight of who your real friends were?"

"I could ask you the same," Sephiroth hissed.

"Sephiroth, have you been shown pictures of your mother?" Genesis ignored the question. "You've only ever been told about her, correct? Tell me, what do you imagine she looks like?"

"Again, I could ask you the same thing. Have you ever seen _your _real mother?"

"Quit changing the subject," the other said, disregarding that he'd done the same thing. "Do you picture her to have been a kind, warm, loving woman? Because you're wrong, Sephiroth, so very wrong. Jenova—"

"Genesis, no! Final Fantasy VII can end here if you don't say anything!" Zack shouted.

"Jenova was excavated from a two-thousand year old rock layer in the Grand Canyon…or something like that. In short, _Sephy_, you are a monster."

For the first and only time, Sephiroth actually looked hurt, confused and scared. He backed away from the former SOLDIER, as though he couldn't trust anyone anymore. Shaking his head in disbelief, he shoved past him and ran out of the reactor.

Genesis sighed. "_Atemonaku hitori samayoi aruki tsudzuketa. Kasukana toiki wo tada shiroku somete. _When the war of the beasts brings about the world's end, the goddess descends from the sky. Wings of light and dark spread afar. She guides us to bliss…her gift everlasting."

"What happened, Gackt lyrics weren't enough, you have to mix them with Loveless now?" Zack groaned, finally pulling himself to a sitting position on the ledge of the reactor platform.

"Thank you for making fun of me, Zack," Genesis huffed. "I quote lyrics as part of a speech impediment due to the degradation. But worry not…I will have my cure. One way or the other." With that, he casually strolled out of the room.

Zack performed a Curaga spell on himself and walked out the door like nothing had happened. He'd forgotten about Cloud and Tifa being outside and waiting for them.

"What's wrong with your friend, is he some sort of deaf-mute or something? He hasn't said a single word," Tifa told him when he'd approached. Cloud bowed his head but still said nothing. "And what's wrong with Sephiroth? I saw him run by here a moment ago."

"Bad case of diarrhea from the water here," Zack lied, leading the way back. For the entire trip, he was forced to endure Tifa's defense of the town and facts that were likely made up about the safety and purity of Nibelheim's water.

~.~.~

The inn bedroom seemed much too large with just himself and Cloud there now. Sephiroth was nowhere to be seen and of course Bob was dead. Cloud looked over to the bedside clock before jerking up. "Um…my mom makes dinner in about an hour. Do you still want to come over?"

Zack didn't exactly have an appetite but he was curious as to find out more about Cloud's mother. Besides, even if he wasn't hungry, he'd be a fool to turn down a home cooked meal after years of MRE's. He nodded happily and Cloud beamed as he gestured for him to follow him to his house.

They'd actually had a very clear view of the house from the main hallway window at the inn but Zack had never found it very impressive and had always looked past it. Instead, he'd focused his attention on the much larger home next door. Cloud hadn't missed his staring.

"That's…Tifa's house," he mumbled. "Her father's one of the best lumberjack's Nibelheim has ever had so he makes a lot of money."

"Wow, how…interesting." Zack actually found the differences in social class more fascinating than Tifa's father's occupation. Both having feelings for each other, so close but so far away. It had all the workings for Taylor Swift song.

Cloud knocked on the front door, fidgeting as he waited for it to be answered. A strong Nibelheim accent called out "Coming!" from inside. Seconds later, they were staring at practically the female equivalent of Cloud.

…If Cloud straightened his hair and grew breasts, that is. Actually, Zack began to realize that this might be another case of poor comparisons and decided to stop there lest he scar himself forever. But nearly every distinctive feature of Cloud could be seen in her. Maybe the spikes came from his father.

"Shinra SOLDIERs!" The woman gasped, looking like she wanted to slam the door in their faces. "I've heard about you seizing land from good, honest folk! Over my dead body will you take mine and that'll be quite a climb!" She reached behind the door and pulled back, cocking a shotgun in their faces. "Ain't nothing my Smith and Wesson can't handle!"

"Mama, it's me!" Cloud cried, pulling the helmet off. "We just wanted to surprise you!"

The woman blinked and lowered the gun. "Cloud? Is that you, baby?"

"Yes mama, it's me," Cloud breathed, happy the barrel wasn't pointed at him anymore. "We're in town to fix the reactor and I thought we could stop by for dinner."

"Aw, my little Cloudy-puff is finally home!" Ms. Strife snatched Cloud into a powerful bear hug, rocking him side to side. "And of course you and your friend can stay for dinner!"

When she'd finally let go of him, Zack introduced himself. She looked him up and down and said, "You have a tan. People don't get tans in the city. Where you from?"

"Gongaga," he said with as much pride as the day he'd met Cloud. The mother and son met each other's eyes and burst out laughing.

"Looks like we're all country folk then!" she said happily, leading them into the house and bustling about the kitchen. "Well, I'll make sure to make something that'll remind you of home. Taste so good, make you want to drop out the army!"

"Actually, mama, I was wondering if you could make haggis tonight?" Cloud asked and those big blue eyes did not look like they wanted to hear a no.

She brightened up like this was the best idea yet. "That's perfect, sweetie! We'll make haggis. Healthiest meal known to man. Zack, dear, have you had it before?"

Zack swallowed and managed a faint chuckle. "Yeah…sure. I eat it all the time back home."

"Great! While I make this, Cloud, you two go get me some milk. I forgot I used the last of it yesterday."

Cloud nodded and headed to the back door of the house. From the living room window, Zack could see a trail leading up the hill to a large mansion, then it turned off and he couldn't see where else it went. He figured though that the store was likely up that way since that's where Cloud was leading him.

But once outside, Cloud made a direct left instead to another ramshackle structure that he hadn't bothered with noticing either. The younger boy walked ahead of him and into the opening of the shed, which Zack realized wasn't a shed at all…it was a stall. And there, looking forever bored and apathetic, stood a cow.

"Cloud…is this what your mom meant when she said get the milk?"

Cloud was already flipping over a crate and taking a pail off of a hook on the wall. Rolling up his shirt sleeves, he straddled the crate and sat down beside the heifer's udder. "Yeah. We've been getting milk from Babe since I was a kid."

Zack's face turned green as he watched him methodically pull on each nipple for the milk to come out. He was from the country too, but his parents weren't the agricultural types. "What about…getting it pasteurized?"

"Mama says that strips it of its nutrients and that it's modern-day mumbo jumbo to help line the pockets of more corporations."

"Do you always believe everything your mama says?"

Instead of getting offended, Cloud shrugged. "Calves drink it all the time."

"They also have four stomachs! Unless you do too and you're not telling me something."

"Well look, you don't have to drink any if you don't like it but mama and I prefer our milk straight from Babe," Cloud huffed, giving a little sniff unbefitting of his age. "You can just drink water."

"Sephiroth is sick because of your water," Zack pointed out, so focused on winning the argument that he forgot that was a lie he meant to only tell Tifa.

"Then I guess you're just going to have to be thirsty, now aren't you?" Cloud said, picking up the full pail and walking back to the house. Zack threw his hands up in exasperation and followed him in.

Dinner was almost festive, with Ms. Strife setting the table with her best silverware and a fresh tablecloth. Zack avoided the giant pouch of sausage on his plate for as long as he could, nibbling on a biscuit instead, until he could no longer delay the inevitable. With a poke of his fork, the meat pod burst open, expelling steam like a sigh of relief.

He had to steady his hand as he lifted a piece out of the skein, fighting to keep the food on the prongs. Taking the absolute tiniest nibble, he screwed his face up, ready to fall down on the floor and pretend to choke, anything to save face of admitting that not only had he never eaten haggis before, but that he was too much of a coward to even finish. Maybe he should rid his bowels too for good measure…

Until his brain sent him a signal, a very distinct and clear signal and Zack shut up his other thoughts to focus on it with all his might: he actually _liked_ the food! His palate approved! Without further hesitation, he ripped the sack open and dug in.

During the entire meal, Cloud's mother had questioned him endlessly about being in SOLDIER. In no uncertain terms did he reveal to her that he had never actually joined. To her untrained eye, his different uniform from Zack's was because he was new and lower ranked and was clearly enamored with the thought of one day, her darling little baby dressed in the impressive black outfit that classified the Firsts.

"So, Cloud, are you having any trouble with your academic studies? Don't they offer a program to finish off your high school diploma?" she asked him, taking a sip of milk—poured directly from the pail into a pitcher which sat in the middle of the table.

"No, I'm doing okay," Cloud replied quietly, slowing down his chewing. He'd never been great with academics.

"That's good," she nodded. "Making lots of friends?"

"Uh…yeah. I mean, a few." Zack was his only friend.

"You have the weekends free, right? Met a cute girl yet?"

"I'm not really interested in girls, mom."

An awkward silence descended upon the table. Ms. Strife blinked down at her haggis, forming her words carefully. "You're not _interested _in girls or you're not _dating_ a girl?"

Cloud shrugged, oblivious to the shift in the conversation. "Kinda both. Not dating one because I'm not interested in one."

She stared at him in shock for a moment before turning to Zack. "So that's why you brought him! Oh, I'm so sorry Zack! Here I am thinking he just brought a regular friend home! Welcome to the family, dear, feel free to call me mama too."

"Wait, wha—!" Zack swallowed and the food went down wrong, sticking in his throat. As he pounded on his chest to dislodge it, Cloud finally caught the subtleties of the topic, looking horrified.

"Mom, he's just a friend! I wish everyone would stop thinking I'm gay!"

"So I'm not the only one! Sweetie, it's alright, I'm your mother, I'll love you regardless—"

"Water!" Zack choked, face turning red from the lack of oxygen.

"But I'm not! I get it, I'm wimpy and frail and still sound like a prepubescent teenager which probably gives the impression that I bottom, but I don't! Why doesn't anyone believe me?"

"I could _really_ use some water!" Zack fell out his seat, but a desperate hand felt around on the tabletop, knocking over his plate in his desperate bid to grab something to drink. The Strifes seemed oblivious to his suffering.

"Baby, I'm not trying to make any wild assumptions but I do want you to know that no matter what, you're always my little boy and I love you, no matter who you are."

"Never mind, mom, I think this dinner is pretty much ruined," Cloud muttered, dropping his fork and knife down and getting up.

At the same time, Zack's fingers finally wrapped around the handle of the pitcher and dragged it towards him, gulping the milk down until the container was nearly empty. Food cleared from his throat, he stumbled back to his feet, wiping his milk mustache away.

"Come on Zack, let's go back to the hotel room," Cloud told him as he walked to the front door. "I wouldn't want to stay and fuel my mother's imagination."

While Ms. Strife didn't say anything to this, she bit her lip to keep a smile from beginning to spread.

"Great dinner, Ms. Strife, hope we can do this again real soon," Zack praised her, to which she waved him away.

"It was my pleasure. Stop by any time and I'll be happy to make more haggis for you."

"Will do!" And this time he actually meant it. With a wave from both boys, they were off.

However, Zack regretted coming back to the hotel the instant they stepped in the room. Not only was Sephiroth still not back, no signs of him having entered the room could be seen either. Full on food and tired from the day, they both decided to hit the sack early.

~.~.~

Dawn broke the next morning to reveal a nervous Cloud sitting on the next bed over, chewing a finger nail very quickly. While he thought nobody was looking, he spat out the shavings and began work on another finger. Zack cleared his throat to let him know that he was awake and the boy hurriedly pulled the nail from his mouth.

"He's still not back yet," he mumbled, observing the bedspread. "The train to take us back to Midgar will be here in an hour." He looked up with blue eyes that completely showed his worry. "Are you _sure _nothing happened in the reactor?"

"Aw, you worry too much," Zack played it off, standing and doing a few squats. "If it'll make you feel any better, I'll go find the guy. He wants to go home just as much as I want to go home. Call me if he returns here while I'm out."

"Hey, that's perfect!" Cloud sat up, pulling out his cell phone. "You have his number, right? Try calling him!"

Zack mentally face-palmed for not having thought of it first and quickly scrolled through his phone's contacts until he found Sephiroth's name nearly at the bottom. He pressed the caller button and waited.

In an unmistakable voice, someone on the other end grumbled, "What do you want?"

"Listen here, the train will be here in an hour so we're going to need you to stop being emo and come back—"

"I'm not willing to talk to anyone at this time so just leave a fucking message at the beep," the recording finished and the phone let out a loud _beeeep! _

He growled, pissed that Sephiroth was one of those people that didn't understand how to leave a voice recording that let you know you would be leaving a message until it was nearly over. Once the beep finished he said, "I think, _General, _that you should be aware that the train will be here any minute now and unless you want to be left in Nibelheim, you might want to get your ass over here." He stabbed the end button and shoved the phone back in his pocket.

"How do you get away with talking to him like that?" Cloud asked.

Zack shrugged. "I probably won't, but that's not my concern right now. That message I left was a complete lie and he knows it—if we return without the commanding officer giving us leave, you might as well stay here because both of us will be booted out."

"No! It can't end here! I still haven't made it into SOLDIER!" Cloud sniffled, holding back the tears.

Zack didn't dare meet his eyes as he said, "_Of course _you have to make it into SOLDIER."

But seriously, something needed to be done. Fast. "I'm going to go look for him. He's probably not going to get my message until too late. I'll manually drag him back if I have to."

Cloud watched him go, hoping against hope that he would succeed.

And in a way, Zack did. After asking around, someone finally mentioned seeing a man go into the abandoned mansion on the far edges of the village. After fruitlessly searching the main rooms of the building, he wore himself out and made his way again to the top floor, figuring a quick rest wouldn't hurt.

"I'll just lean against this wall oh-so-casually for a break as nothing could go wrong with th—"

The wall gave and he fell down a spiraling flight of stairs, landing with a thud at the bottom. He was almost too scared to move, figuring every bone in his body had been broken. Miraculously, he not only didn't have a single broken bone, but no bruising either. He decided not to complain.

He walked along a narrow passageway until he came to two doors. He tried the first one on the left; locked. Without even thinking, he began to bang on it, rattling the knob. "Open up Sephiroth, or I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll—"

"No Sephiroth here!" someone shouted on the other side. And Zack would've continued to pound anyways except…they really didn't sound like Sephiroth at all. More of a darker, heavier voice. Kinda gave Zack the creeps if he had to be honest.

"Uh…may I ask who are you?" he called out.

"Someone trying to take an eternal nap. This is the only way I know to punish myself for my sins."

"…Yeeeaaahh. I'm gonna leave you to that then."

"Much appreciated," the guy called out and within seconds, he could hear him snoring.

Zack decided to try door number two and this one was unlocked. The front room looked like a science lab. And if one could ignore the pods in the corner filled with mako, everything else checked out as normal as far as science labs go.

Of course, there was the glaring fact of who builds a science lab in a hidden basement. Oh, and there was still the matter of the guy next door. Maybe this was his place…

Zack walked in a little further and saw that the room broke off to reveal a hallway and from where he was standing, he could see a small office.

And an occupied Sephiroth pacing back and forth as he read.

"Sephiroth!" he shouted, running up to him.

Sephiroth paused, tiling his head back as he focused on something, his eyes closed.

"Sephiroth! We have to catch the train!"

Green eyes snapped open and abruptly turned to him. "Damnit, you ruined my concentration! I was just about to figure out the meaning of life!"

"Um, your life or…?"

"All of it!" Sephiroth told him, opening his arms to emphasize the entire universe. "I just know it's going to be on the test."

Zack tilted his head in the puppyish way of his youth. "I think you've officially lost it."

Sephiroth pulled a paper from his pocket and handed it over. Zack took it and unfolded it, reading 'Midgar Community College application of enrollment.' He looked up with a raised eyebrow. "Community college?"

"Yeah, figured I'd take some night classes. You get farther these days with a degree than you do with a sword. And classes aren't cheap, I can't afford to go to Midgar University, especially with Lazard not paying what he used to."

"You know Lazard's been missing for months. Nobody appointed a replacement?" Zack asked.

"Well, Angeal supposedly was next but he's dead and he didn't leave instructions as to who was to fill the post next." Sephiroth folded his arms, looking upset.

"Wait, wait, wait. You mean to tell me that we're doing this without any pay?"

Sephiroth paused. "Holy shit, I never thought of that!"

"Fuck that, you mean to tell me you've been down here _studying _this whole time?" Zack finally snapped, throwing the papers back at him.

"What, I was supposed to do so with Beevis and Butthead back at the hotel room? You're Butthead, by the way."

"Study on the train!" Zack yelled. "I refuse to be stuck here because of this!"

"Yeah but I found some really interesting books that talk about the projects in this lab, too!"

"Bring those as well then, we need to hurry."

"I want to stay here and read about Mother." There was no humor in his voice, and the sudden shift in tone left Zack actually feeling scared. "This is the only chance I have to find out more about my existence and I'm not going to waste it. From this moment on, I'm assuming control of SOLDIER and you two are ordered to remain here until further notice. Do I make myself clear?"

_He picks the most inopportune moments to decide that he wants to pull rank, _Zack thought but could only nod. Sephiroth went back to his reading and pacing as Zack tiredly made his way back to the hotel.


	14. The Price of Freedom

**The Price of Freedom**

Seven days….

Vague movie reference aside, they waited seven days before they heard from Sephiroth again. In fact, Sephiroth had a message for everyone.

Zack _heard _the fire before he saw it. The roar of the inferno as it engulfed half the houses of the village and the sound of snapping boards and shattering windows sounded more like a hurricane was blowing through. He quickly opened his eyes that morning and sat up to see Cloud standing at the window, looking horrified.

"Mama…" he whimpered.

"Cloud, I'm so sorry…"

"No! She's not dead! I can still save her!" Cloud ran from the window and down the entrance stairs of the hotel, bursting out the front doors with Zack following him. The older SOLDIER tried to grab him to hold him back but Cloud broke free and continued running to his house.

"You're not supposed to go inside a burning building!" Zack lamely cautioned to no avail. Cloud disappeared inside the flames, screaming his mother's name at the top of his lungs.

At the same time, he suddenly saw Tifa rush past him. "Whoa, where are you going?" He caught her arm, causing her to slow down as she struggled against him.

"My father went to the reactor to stop Sephiroth! Dad's a minor character and you know they don't live long!" She continued her running up the mountain trail, leaving him in a difficult spot to either go after her or wait for Cloud.

The decision was made for him. The boy stumbled out the house, clutching the body of his mother. He fell to his knees just outside the door and began to attempt CPR. He sobbed more than breathed air into her lungs but it was futile anyways. She was gone.

He took only a moment to cry, rocking her body in his arms until he looked up and whispered, "I'm going to kill Sephiroth." Gently, he let his mother's body rest on the ground before standing and sprinting off down the trail as well. Zack followed him.

Forgetting that Cloud was a frequent explorer of Mt. Nibel as well, they managed to make it back to the reactor in only a few short minutes. Outside, they could see Tifa…and she was kneeling over someone.

"I'm here, daddy. Please don't die on me," she sniffed, holding his hand. Zack almost couldn't watch, and steeled his emotions for what he knew was coming next. The man had a deep stab wound, and Sephiroth's sword stuck up out of his body. He wasn't going to make it.

"Ti…fa. Tell me…why did the chicken…cross the road?" He coughed and blood came up.

"I don't know, daddy," she wiped tears from her eyes. "Why?"

"To get…to the other…side."

"Daddy, that joke has never been funny. I thought…I should tell you that finally."

"Aw shit, I wish you would've said that sooner! I thought everyone loved that joke."

"No daddy, only you."

"Well…at least I can die…of laughter…haha." He passed away with a smile on his face.

She closed his eyes for him and slowly stood up. "I hate Sephiroth," she told no one in particular. "I hate Shinra. I hate SOLDIER!"

"Whoa, aren't you taking it a bit far—" Zack started but she cut him off.

"I hate being a tour guide on this damn mountain! I hate school! I hate Madison with her perfect breasts! I hate brussels sprouts! I hate it when I get a hangnail! I hate that I've never been in a _car _before! But most of all, I'll never, ever forgive Sephiroth!"

Before they could stop her, she ripped the blade out of the body and ran inside the reactor. Sephiroth was just making his way to the top (yes, he took all that time to walk up twelve steps. His knees aren't as young as they used to be). Without preamble, she charged up the flight, sword ready to pierce through his back.

As soon as she was close enough however, he spun around and grabbed the blade of the sword. Easily lifting her up, he flung her back down the steps. As Cloud went to tend to her, he continued his path into the once-sealed room marked Jenova.

Zack cautiously followed him, not wanting to be next on Sephiroth's trail of bodies. The man stopped before a large glass container not unlike the ones he'd seen in the basement lab. However, he couldn't see what was inside it due to a large metal mask of a woman blocking his view.

"I'm here, mother," Sephiroth told her. "I know you've waited so long for our reunion. I've finally come home.'

"Wow, you've sunk to a new low," Zack scoffed, still keeping his distance. "Some mommy you have, leaving you in the hands of scientists."

"_They're_ here, mother," Sephiroth continued, looking over his shoulder to throw a nasty look at Zack. "They won't leave us alone. They don't understand us mother, these inferior dullards."

"Uh, I'm still here, you know," Zack informed him.

"Why do they keep talking to me, mother? It's like they don't know how to catch a clue!"

Zack gritted his teeth, hefting his sword up. "Why can't you just say that to my face?"

"Make them shut up, mother! Make them stop talking to us!" Sephiroth began to grab his head and stumble around, as though Zack's voice had penetrated his actual thoughts.

"That's it, I'm gonna get you the help that you deserve!" Readying the Buster sword, he leapt in the air to attack, but surprisingly, Sephiroth recovered from his psychosis long enough to raise his own sword in defense. With a single swing, he flung him back through the doorway and down half the flight of stairs. This time, being in the Fantasy universe didn't save him and he heard several of his ribs crack and something in his arm, too. It hurt too much to even scream and all he could do was lay there, praying that Sephiroth didn't come to finish the job.

With a 'humph', he returned back to the room to be by Jenova's side.

Zack controlled his breathing, trying not to take in air too fast so as to not disturb the broken bones. Shifting his head very slowly, his eyes landed on Tifa's fallen form at the base of the stairs. Where Cloud had been tending to her a moment ago, he was now backed up against the door, knees knocking together and hyperventilating.

"Cloud…I need you to finish Sephiroth for me. You're our only chance."

Cloud shook his head furiously, his huffing filling the entire room.

"Damnit, Cloud! You want to be a SOLDIER? Do this and you'll be the most bad-ass SOLDIER ever. Remember…if you land a hit, you get an A for the week. If you make him bleed, you're exempt from exams. Knock him unconscious, you're promoted to First. And…as your superior, I'm granting you to general if you kill him. Do it for honor, Cloud. Do it…for your mom." He exhausted himself with talking and had to fight to remain awake.

With the force of slamming a door, Cloud shut down the vision of his dead mother in his arms. He drew himself up and gave one resolute nod to show that he understood that he had a job to do. And Bob as his witness, Cloud Strife was gonna do it!

He picked up Zack's sword and quietly walked up the steps. Inside the next room, he could see Sephiroth standing before the mask of the woman. Cloud watched as he grabbed the mould and ripped it away, wires snapping free and wriggling like Medusa's hair. Sephiroth tossed it to the side, standing in awe before his true target.

The arms of her body were missing, her skin a pale blue, either from the liquid in the tank or that being her natural color. The only likeness she had to her son was his silver hair, but that was all the proof Cloud needed. He'd taken his mother; she was going to lose a son.

Sephiroth reached out an arm slowly, excitement making him quiver just a little. Finally, after years of wondering, after the years of being poked and prodded and being treated like a lab rat, and after all the lies, he was at last with the one person who could see him as just him. And who would understand his desire for revenge. Mother…

At that moment, Cloud would do something that seemed to be impossible with most heroes. He attacked without a word. No screaming about avenging the fallen, no long speech about dishing out just desserts. He went in and did what he had to do like any sensible hero _should _do.

In turn, Sephiroth didn't see it coming. He felt the sword enter his body, the tip cracking the glass of the chamber. He stumbled, supporting himself against the structure and saw in the reflection the sickly blonde kid that'd traveled to Nibelheim with him.

"Strident, was it?"

Cloud still said nothing, only buried the sword in deeper before roughly withdrawing it. He happily watched Sephiroth struggle to keep himself standing.

"I see I underestimated you. I won't be making that mistake again."

Before he could stop him, Sephiroth had pulled out his sword and used his momentum to knock the boy back. The Buster sword flew across the room out of his reach and he was initially too disoriented to attempt to pick it up. He heard the footsteps approaching and knew that he wasn't going to be as forgiving as he had been with Zack. He'd injured him (and the last thing on Cloud's mind was the fact that he'd be exempt from his exams). Sephiroth wasn't going to take being injured lightly.

And he was right. An excruciating pain filled his abdomen as the general stabbed him, easily lifting him with one hand while the other…held Jenova's head. It couldn't end like this…not after all the deaths. If he didn't stop this now, Sephiroth would walk out that door and stab both Zack and Tifa on his way out. There would be nobody alive to tell what had happened and he refused for Nibelheim to be forgotten like that.

He ignored the pain. His suffering was nothing compared to what everyone else had gone through. With willpower he didn't know he possessed, he gripped the blade and actually shoved himself on further to level the weight, which allowed his feet to touch the ground. With a little more force, he began to lift Sephiroth off his feet instead which was an extra hard feat considering the man was a foot taller than him.

"Aw, the rookie thinks he's actually going to kill me! I almost feel bad for having to bring you back to reality. Unfortunate for you, I have a little more common sense than the average villain." And with that, Sephiroth easily let go of the sword, which dropped him back to the ground. So simple!

At least, that's what Sephiroth _should've_ done. Before he could let go, however, Cloud flung both him and the sword into the opposite side of the reactor, his back slamming into more exposed wires which temporarily paralyzed his nervous system.

"This…isn't over, Strife! My heart will go on and on!" He fell like a ragdoll to the deep abyss below. Cloud could even hear his body burning in the mako and cringed at what had to be a painful death. But at least this was over.

Or so he thought. That is until a loud popping sound, not unlike grease, rang in the enclosed space. One lone body part was projected through the air and came to rest at his feet, still sizzling. Cautiously, he picked it up, all to realize…it was a single wing, battered and fried to perfection, made just right with twelve herbs and spices. Sephiroth, original recipe.

But even chicken wasn't enough to revitalize him and he found himself struggling to remain standing as he headed back out the door. His knees gave on the first step and he slid the rest of the way down, stopping a few feet away from Zack, who woke up at the sound of his falling.

"Congrats…buddy. I hereby make you…General Cloud Strife, SOLDIER first class." He tried to stretch his arm to at least pat him on the back, but it wouldn't reach and it cost too much energy anyways. Who cared? The day was saved and soon, this would all be nothing more than a horrible nightmare of the past.

~.~.~

Fast forward two years.

Zack looked to his right in his mako container at the self-made calendar he'd created to mark how many days he'd been in there. It was too dangerous to move when a lab techie was watching him but when he was alone, he'd reach down and make a quick strike against the glass with his finger, the condensation allowing him to view it for days.

That is, until they came to clean the tanks. Then he had to remember what day he was on so he could start again when the mako was refilled.

Sometimes Cloud would wake up and the two would play tic-tac-toe on the glass of their pods. But the boy wasn't handling the mako well and would fall back asleep in the middle of the game and no matter how many times Zack pounded on his tank, he wouldn't wake back up. Cloud made for a sucky tic-tac-toe partner.

One day in the middle of one of these games, Zack had an idea. Over the last several weeks, the amount of assistants had slowly been dwindling. It once was that Hojo himself had been present, along with his numerous lackeys. Now there was only one guy, identified as "Josh" by his nametag.

Josh was bored and lonely and getting sloppy by the days with his job. Zack had to pretend to be asleep when he walked in since as far as Josh knew, the subjects had never gained conscious since their transport to the containers. And as Zack 'slept', Josh would pull up a chair and talk to them. He spoke of his frustrations of working under Hojo, revealed that he told everyone that he had a girlfriend…of which he'd made up. And even considered letting he and Cloud go once or twice.

They planned it for lunch time. During one of the brief times that Cloud was awake, he wrote out the instructions on his glass. Cloud looked at it and mouthed, "What?"

"We break out of here at 12!" He wrote back.

Cloud still shook his head, not understanding. He made a motion with his hands, as though trying to sign that Zack should turn something around. And Zack got it: the igit couldn't read his writing backwards. He had no way to mirror the words and he sure as hell wasn't about to actually write them backwards.

Instead, Zack mimed back with his hands that of someone holding a lunch tray. 'Lunch' for them was an injection of liquid nutrients that were inserted into a tube that went into the top of the tank and was embedded in their arms. It meant the person doing the feeding had to be close to them. Zack showed Cloud how to kick at the glass with all their might until it shattered and then showed how he'd use the tray to knock the techie out. Cloud nodded dreamily and was asleep again ten seconds later. Zack facepalmed.

Josh came in at exactly 12 sharp, according to the clock on the wall (Zack had never been more grateful for a clock in his life). Playing the role of the lifeless puppet, he allowed himself to go slack, closing his eyes all but a fraction. He watched the guy who was still young enough to be a sophomore in college as he filled up the syringe and stuck it in Cloud's IV. As he turned around to ready the second one, Cloud's vitals being recorded on the machine next to him began to bleep furiously. The heart-rate plummeted as did the reading of his oxygen levels. Zack looked and noticed that Cloud was clutching his air tube, keeping it closed.

It was perfect. Josh became frantic, trying to figure out why Subject B's health was decreasing so rapidly, checking his calculations of the injection and all-around having a massive panic attack. So much so that he didn't hear the thudding coming from Subject A's tank until it was too late. The glass broke on his third kick and Zack rolled out and quickly popped to his feet. He brushed the second syringe off the tray and struck the side of Josh's head with all the force he could muster. Thankfully he went out cold with the first hit and Zack pocketed the lab keys.

There was a more pressing matter at hand though. Cloud had fallen asleep yet again, either due to the mako or the lack of air and he hadn't let go of his tube yet. Zack pressed the same button he'd seen the other assistants press when they wanted to drain the mako and slowly, the tank was emptied. Cloud's breathing stabilized and Zack found the button to release the door, catching the limp body as it tumbled out. To buy a little more time, he shoved Josh's body in the tank instead and locked him in.

He hefted Cloud's body over his shoulder and made his way out the door until he heard grumbling. Looking back, he was reminded that there was a second sealed door in the basement and that there was someone "sleeping" in there. Clearly they'd woken him up with all their noise but the guy didn't seem to want to bitch about it this time.

They paused long enough for him to get Cloud a new change of clothes, figuring that being in contact with the mako for any longer would probably end up killing him. At that time, Zack searched his pockets to see if anything had been left to him. Miraculously, they'd left him his phone, which was water proof and turned on when he pressed the power button. Also in his pocket, in perfect condition as though neither mako nor time could affect it, was the list of 23 wishes from Aerith.

A lump formed in his throat that was harder to swallow than his first bite of haggis. Two years had passed…had she found someone new by now? Did she think he was dead? Or did she think he just got tired of her? He looked at the phone and thought about calling her, but it'd be too dangerous. He searched through his voicemail but there weren't any. Instead, his text inbox was flooded with messages, mainly from Kunsel.

Kunsel…it seemed like a lifetime ago that the two had been roomies in the Shinra bunks. He read through most of the messages, coming to understand that Cloud and Zack had been written off as killed in action. Kunsel on the other hand refused to believe that. The newest one was from only a month ago and even after mentioning that the Zack fanclub was officially disbanding now that Zack wad dead, he still wasn't going to buy it.

He couldn't help but smile. Either Kunsel was an idiot who had to see it to believe it or he had a stronger faith in him than could ever be imagined. Or, as they say, denial isn't just a river in Egypt. But the texts and Aerith's message gave him an idea.

"Hey Cloud…I need to go back to Midgar." Cloud hadn't woken up again and lay propped on the bed in a similar black uniform, the only clothes Zack could find. "I know, it makes absolutely no sense to go back to the same city with Shinra headquarters but…there's something that I have to do. You understand, right?"

The lifeless Cloud said nothing.

"Great! Knew I could trust ya!" With that, he hefted him up again and finally made their way out of the mansion.

~.~.~

"We just got reports of two subjects from the Shinra mansion escaping," Tseng told the lineup of Turks. Most of them stood to attention seriously, though there were some that'd never change.

"So, we get to play hide and seek with 'em? I'm gonna find them first!" Reno announced.

"It's not a race, idiot, you're not gonna get anything!" Elena told him.

"Actually…the person who finds them gets a raise," Tseng said.

They froze for just a minute before Rude announced, "Dibs on cockpit!" and shoved past everyone to get to the helicopter first. He heard the passenger door open and didn't even need to look to know that Reno had climbed in next.

"There's enough for everyone!" Tseng shouted hopelessly, but somehow they'd managed to scramble to the multiple helicopters already and were taking off. Pulling out the transmitter for their radios, he added, "Find them before SOLDIER does and bring them back alive. That's an order."

Fourteen shouts of "Sir!" echoed in his ear. They did him proud.

~.~.~

"Lucky us we were able to hitch a ride, huh?"

They sat in the back of a truck, riding through the desert. Traveling had been slow with Cloud all but awake but the boy was finally at a semi-conscience state and could move his feet on his own. They'd sustained themselves on stolen food, which ate at Zack's morals, until he remembered something Angeal had said about stealing apples in his hometown because his family was starving. It wasn't like he had money either or that he could show his face. If Kunsel's messages were correct, he and Cloud were wanted fugitives.

It was as they napped in a barn that they came across the old man. Rather, _he_ came across _them_. Undaunted by their Shinra uniforms and oblivious to them being in the military in general, he enlisted the young men to help him carry the hay in the barn to his truck. He didn't ask their names and they didn't give them to him. In return, he provided them a free ride, food and drink for the journey as they assisted him with unloading more hay, feed and tools. Coincidentally, Midgar was the last stop on the list.

"After all this time, I'll finally get to see her," Zack said happily, his spirits at their highest in a long time. He sat up, smelling the clean (non-Nibelheim) air, letting the wind fluff his hair. "I just hope that Tifa's alright. Hey, I saw you back there, buddy. You had the hots for her, didn't you?"

Cloud's only response was to slump over more as they hit a particularly hard bump.

"You know, you're no fun anymore," he huffed, turning back to the front.

The shot came out of nowhere, whizzing just above his head. What with the sound of the engine and the tires on the dirt road, it seemed the old man didn't even know. Zack reached in the open driver window to motion for him to pull over. Before the vehicle could come to a complete stop, he grabbed Cloud and dragged him out the back, rushing to the side of the road to set him down against the rocks.

"Hey, stay here for a bit, I'll be back," he told him, patting his shoulder.

Cloud was actually more awake than he had been since his escape. He tried to call him back but couldn't, lifting an arm feebly as he watched Zack walk away.

"Hark! In accordance with article 72B, paragraph 8, section 12, clause 52, it has hereby been ordered that you are to be shot on sight! Any last words?"

Zack looked at the cluster of infantrymen, those three-eyed helmets on their heads like what Cloud wore. He smiled fondly and said, "Yeah, just a few. Over my dead body and that'll be quite a climb."

"Affirmative! We can arrange that! Shoot to kill!"

Zack immediately raised his sword to block the onslaught of bullets. As they reloaded, he charged them at full force. Taking a swing that'd make Babe Ruth proud, he hacked one guy's head off while at the same time, slicing through the shoulder of another man. Flipping the sword and bringing it upwards, he cut off someone's hands, the fingers still curled around the gun they'd been holding. A voice in the back of his head said that Angeal was probably rolling in his grave with all the "wear, tear, and rust" that he was giving the sword and he promised he'd give the Buster sword a good cleaning afterwards. If he made it out alive.

He finished his spree of dismemberment in record time, though that could be attributed to the fact that he'd never dismembered anyone before. He stood amongst the littered body parts and actually felt _good! _Leonidus had nothing on him! "Who else wants some?" he roared, wanting to rip off his shirt too for extra effect.

That wasn't needed. From behind the rocks and sparse plants, more infantrymen appeared. Twenty…thirty…fifty…Zack lost count. All of them had guns and all of them were trained on him.

He straightened up, brushing blood off his cheek and staining his clothes. "Boy oh boy…the price of freedom is steep." He chuckled a hollow laugh, readying his sword again. "Sometimes though…you just have to bleed a little for something you believe in!"

Major understatement.

When the battle was done, Zack looked like he'd been put through a food processor. His body was riddled with bullets and he knew he must look like Swiss cheese. Still…there happened to be three left. He couldn't give out now. Not just yet…

They struck first. Bullets ripped apart his flesh, robbing him of the last of his strength. He collapsed in the dirt, watching the dark gray clouds roll across the sky. He'd always found the rain beautiful. This wasn't such a bad day to die.

The three guards advanced. One of them stopped to radio back to headquarters that the target had been apprehended. The second one kept some distance, keeping his gun trained on him. The third person was an actual SOLDIER second class and had no fear of walking directly up to him, the laser from the gun moving to various parts of his body to find where the best place to hit would be.

"I tried to help you, Zack. Looks like you were too proud to accept it."

Zack blinked. He'd heard that voice before. Someone…small. And annoying. Someone like…Luxiere.

For confirmation, the helmet was ripped away, exposing the once innocent face of the boy. Though barely an adult, the sadistic pleasure on his face made him seem so much older.

"You were my idol, Zack. You know that? I meant it. I wanted to be just. Like. You." With every word, Luxiere ground his heel into one of Zack's hands, smiling wider as he cringed. "Why wouldn't you give me a chance, Zack? All you ever saw me as was a pest. You and Sephiroth and Genesis and Angeal. But they were much older than me and I didn't expect anything less from them. You actually indulged me at first, back when you were a Second and it was clear you were making quick progress. You spoke to me and gave me tips. But the day you became a First…you changed…"

The laser from his scope came to rest on his chest. Zack swallowed hard, trying to steady his breathing. This was insane, he barely remembered having a conversation with him. But maybe…that was just it. Nearly all his memories of Luxiere were of him running from him. But so much had happened after and even before becoming a First. Genesis' initial disappearance. Lazard leaving. Trying to capture Hollander. Angeal's death. And that was just the tip of the iceberg. Who could blame him for not having time for idle chit chat?

Clearly, Luxiere could. The boy wrapped his finger around the trigger, his hand steady. He easily washed all emotion away. "Goodbye, Zack."

The shot came just as the first thunder broke, and then darkness.

~.~.~

"Hey…Zack? W-wake up. Please, wake up. Don't leave me here."

He opened his eyes at the sound of the voice, but at the same time, the rain began to fall and he flinched as the drops hit his face. Slowly turning his head, he saw Cloud kneeling on the ground beside him, tears threatening to fall from his eyes.

"Hi, buddy," he whispered, not sure if he could be heard over the rain. "I look pretty awful, don't I?"

Cloud's eyes said yes. His head shook no.

"It's…okay. You don't have to lie to me. I know I'm not gonna make it." His smiled sadly for a moment. This was fun while it lasted but all good things must come to an end.

"Well, guess I can shed this thing now!" He easily sat up ripped away his shirt. Underneath was a bullet proof vest. "Found it back at the mansion. Seriously, Shinra dresses SOLDIERs like our only job is to be sex symbols! Do you know how many lives could've been saved with this thing? It's practically common sense!"

Cloud blinked, the reality not quite setting in yet. "You mean…you're not going to die?"

"Hell no! And even if I did, I have this!" He reached in his pocket and pulled something out, holding it up.

"A feather?" Cloud's voice was quickly turning to incredulous anger. "How would a feather save you?"

"Not just any feather! A Phoenix Down! You get like, what, four in the game? And unless you're playing on hard or something, you barely use these things! I still have a few from the very first time I ran through the game!"

"…I'm lost as to what you're even talking about," Cloud groaned. "Look, are we still going to Midgar?"

"Um, no. Considering I just got shot at by half the Shinra army and amazingly lived to tell the tale, I'm not going to tempt fate twice. I'll just do what I should've done to begin with. Call Aerith from a payphone. They're likely tracking my actual phone." He took it out of his pocket and threw it over the side of the cliff.

He used the sword to slowly stand up, turning around to admire the view of Midgar in the distance. As his first taste of the city, it'd always hold a certain allure to him. "I guess from this point on, we're outcasts. My only goal ever since becoming a SOLDIER was to help others. Now…I don't know if I really did that." He looked down, ashamed to say the next words. "Hey…Cloud? Would you say I became a hero?"

Unbidden, the tears came again and Cloud launched himself at him in a grip that was probably too tight to be classified as a hug. "You risked your life for me more than once. That's enough of a hero for me."

"Can I…make a bromance joke?" Zack figured he'd ask.

"Don't push it," Cloud muffled into his shirt.

"Gotcha."

They didn't have an idea of where they were going from here, but that didn't matter. They wouldn't be facing the uncertainly of the future alone.

At least…not anymore.

* * *

><p>And with that, part one is complete! I'd be lying if I said I had a complete idea of what I want for this story from but I suppose that's the fun of writing sometimes, being able to make it up as you go. It'll probably be months yet again before this is updated again but till then, ja ne!<p> 


	15. Teamwork Makes Dreams Work

And so the second arc of the story begins! Not certain how many chapters this will be as I never set an intended length for any of it (nor did I think it would be broken into 'arcs') but I'll try to make it a comparable length to the first half so that nothing ends suddenly. With that said, hope you enjoy :)

* * *

><p><strong>Teamwork Makes Dreams Work!<strong>

"Are we there yet?" Cloud whined, dragging his feet. They'd been walking for a week, stopping at small towns on the way, but no real destination had been determined. They'd stolen clothes from a line hanging outside so as to switch out of the SOLDIER uniform but they still were being cautious to avoid any major areas.

"Hey, I see something right over this hill!" Zack called back from the lead. "I've got a good feeling about this one! We'll set up shop and become the best mercenaries for hire or your money back guaranteed!"

_What money? _Cloud grumbled to himself but plodded along. He indeed though could see something over the horizon, something very large. He could hear cars already passing on the streets and walked faster at the prospect of finally seeing other people once more.

"Tada! Our new base!" Zack shouted happily, cresting the hill and throwing his arms out wide. He grinned in pride at his discovery…for about five seconds. Slowly, the smile melted away and he was forced to give a nervous chuckle. "Well damn…how did this happen?"

"You led us back to Midgar!" Cloud screamed, wishing he had something he could throw. He collapsed to his knees, leaning on the Buster Sword that Zack had handed him throughout the journey. "Zack…why didn't you use the world map?"

"Because they didn't have one in my game," the older shot back. "Besides, I've got a better idea. If they really want us dead, we're not going out quietly. They either publicly execute us and then the world can finally see Shinra for the monster it is, or we can bribe them into giving us hush money."

Cloud was shaking his head before he'd even finished. "Or they could just shoot you in broad daylight anyways and keep their money. They have their hands in everything. Can you believe that as late as 1970, half the world was still using lanterns until the Shinra Electric Power Company began spreading? You want lights, you get it from Shinra. Want the newest car? Shinra. I even saw Shinra action figures! And no, not SOLDIERs, you could buy an eight-inch Rufus Shinra."

Zack wrinkled his nose. "Ew, who'd want to?" Then, feigning nonchalance he asked, "Did they have me?"

"Not as an action figure. You were a plushie."

"A _plushie_? …Okay. I'm actually fine with that. But seriously though. We really don't have much of a better place to go if we're going to make this mercenary thing work. Midgar has people from all walks of life, someone's bound to need two strapping young guys like us for help!"

"I dunno, I was kinda thinking of just starting a delivery business," Cloud mumbled.

"Ha! What, 'Strife Delivery Service. You name it, we deliver it'? Who the hell would ever want to be a delivery boy?"

Cloud kept his head down and said nothing.

Zack put a hand on his back, leading him forward toward the city. "Let's stop and get something to drink and then we can talk about how we'll start a _real _business plan."

Deep in the slums of Sector Seven, they found a bar that was full and lively with drinking, singing, and a rather large cluster of people gathered at a table near the back that kept throwing furtive glances at everyone else in the room. Zack got the impression that they weren't planning anything quite legal and if they weren't walking the side of the law, likely no one there was.

Just as they made their way to a remaining empty table, a little girl walked up to them, notebook in hand and pulling a pencil from behind her ear. "Welcome to 7th Heaven! What may I get for you this evening?"

"Whoa, kid, how old are you?" Zack asked her, looking around to see if he could maybe spot her parents.

"I'm not a baby! In two weeks, I'm gonna be…" She paused to configure her numbers on her hands, then said "This many!" and held up a single palm showing five fingers.

"I think we'll pass on the drinks," Cloud said and made to get up but Zack pushed him back down, giving him a look. While he wasn't keen on being served by a child who could barely determine their own age, this was likely the safest place they'd find.

"Well, since you're being such a great waitress, I'll take a beer. My friend here will just have a soda."

"I can legally drink now too, you know! Even before this, I could hold my own beer!" While he meant for it to sound masculine and tough, it still came out as a boyish whine despite the fact that he was eighteen.

"Well why don't you go back to Nibelheim then, hm? Oh right, because Sephiroth burned it to the ground!"

The entire room came to an abrupt silence and all eyes were on their table.

"Did you say…Sephiroth?" a large man asked, leaning forward in his seat. Zack noticed that he was missing an arm and in its place was what looked like a gun. He decided that considering the guy's size, it wouldn't be wise to stare.

"Yeah, I uh…I did mention Sephiroth. Something…wrong?" Something told him that was probably a bad answer the moment it came out his mouth.

He was right. The room exploded into noise once more and it seemed that everyone had something to say about the man.

"He ruined my daughter's birthday party!"

"I caught him digging in my trash can!"

"He ate my chickens!"

Cloud and Zack looked at each other questioningly before Zack asked them, "Are you…_certain _this was Sephiroth?"

"Silver hair, an over-compensating sword and a penchant for leather, hell yeah it was him!" a man with short blonde hair said, the toothpick in his mouth bobbing as he yelled. "I'd know that look anywhere. Hell, he even starred in the last recruitment commercial."

"They do those?" Cloud asked. "I mean, I know they have commercials but they actually use people to promote it?"

A teenage girl sitting across from their table rolled her eyes. "_All _the Firsts are used as living billboards for Shinra. You've never seen any of the commercials?"

"Why wasn't _I _asked to be in one?" Zack muttered darkly and Cloud elbowed him to keep him quiet.

The girl produced a tablet, probably something from Apple or Android that'd make a fanboy somewhere wet his pants in excitement and after doing some typing, pulled up a YouTube video. The screen faded in from black, showing a long field with several men in the Third class SOLDIER uniform running across its length. The camera zooms in on Sephiroth, who yells at them, "Come on, pick it up!" before turning his attention to the lens. Just then, a gust of wind blows, making his bangs gently brush his face. "Do you think you have what it takes?"

The camera cut to a classroom, Genesis stepping down from a podium and in his hands was of course Loveless. This Genesis happened to be wearing a pair of glasses and slid them off his face with a sensual shake of his hair. "Do you think you have the skill?" he all but purred.

Then the next shot showed an exercise room, focusing on Angeal pumping weights. After a moment, he pushed the barbell back onto the support and sat up, his face not even glistening. "Do you think you have the strength?" Flexing, he kissed a massive bicep, his penetrating gaze never leaving the camera.

The next few clips were cliché's of every military movie ever made, running up the stairs of a football stadium, strenuous chin-ups, push-ups in the mud (Genesis actually took on that role), and supposedly grueling sword fights complete with flashy spins and signature poses.

When it was done, all three of them were filthy, leaning against a brick wall as though that was their usual hangout spot after an arduous day of training. However, the grime looked more or less strategically placed as somehow none of it had managed to touch any of their glorious locks. The camera panned across their bodies as if to emphasize that yes, these were dirty men in uniform, and they looked damn good in it too.

"So,_ do _you have what it takes?" Angeal asked. The lighting shone at just the right angle to make their mako eyes glow.

"If so, head on down to your local recruitment center or sign up online _today_," Genesis said, a cocky sneer playing at his mouth.

"We'll be waiting." Sephiroth's unusual green eyes stared unflinchingly until the screen blanked with darkness and the word "SOLDIER" appeared in bold letters. As those faded, the last image was the online link (goSOLDIERdotcom) and then the video ended, other related videos filling the spot.

Zack blinked a few times, feeling like he was waking up from a daze. And like he really needed a shower, which had nothing to do with the dirt either. He cleared his throat weakly and said, "Yeah, that's certainly him…"

Cloud's mind was still trying to register and understand how Sephiroth had survived the fall into the reactor considering it was only as hot as Hell down there. Not even the great Sephiroth should've survived that and he had the fried wing to prove it! "So, where was the last place you saw him?" he asked the room.

The blonde guy slammed his fist on the table, yelling "I caught him in Rocket Town tryin' to mess with Shera!"

Zack snorted quietly. "He's gone from burning down villages to harassing women. Nice one, Seph."

"Shera's not a woman, she's an aircraft."

"Ooohh!" Zack was relieved for only a brief moment before thinking, _what would Sephiroth want with an aircraft? _

"I saw Sephiroth in Wutai," said the girl that'd showed them the video. "He was wearing a straw hat but the idiot didn't even bother to try to hide his hair. Everyone took one look at the long sword and figured it was just another anime fan doing bad cosplay."

"Yeah, well _I _saw Sephiroth gambling at the Gold Saucer," came a new voice, a woman coming out from the back holding a tray filled with mugs. She jerked to a stop as her eyes roved the crowd, nearly dropping everything. "_Cloud_?"

"Tifa!" he shouted, standing up to rush over. "You're alive!"

"No, _you're _alive! Shinra said you were dead!"

"C'mon, you know you can't trust Shinra."

"Here, here!" the group from the back table shouted. Realizing that they'd drawn attention to themselves, they quickly turned around again.

Zack stood up so she could see him and her eyes flashed with recognition. "I remember you! You're the SOLDIER guy that was with Sephiroth that day!"

"Oh, _hell no,_ you're a SOLDIER?" The huge man with the cannon stood up too, slamming his mug on the table. "He's a Shinra spy!"

Things looked like they were about to get very ugly, very quickly. "Cloud, let's go!" Zack yelled, grabbing the boy's arm and trying to push through the crowd out the door. However, the man and the group that had been preoccupying the table at the far end all blocked the exit, crossing their arms like body guards.

"We're AVALANCHE, and we eat chumps like you for dinner," one guy said. The brutish monster standing next to him gave him a fist bump as though that were especially clever.

A loud click rang through the air as the man's gun was seemingly reloaded. Or the safety was taken off. Either way, he looked ready for business. "Listen here, spikey, I'm gonna ask you one time and one time only. Who sent you?"

Beside him, Zack heard Cloud give a pitiful groan, making him feel guilty. It was his idea to lead them back to Midgar. He didn't know though that he'd meet a militia against Shinra. He decided to play the only card he had: The truth. "I was pronounced dead by the army two years ago. We escaped and—"

"_We?_" he was cut off. "Who's 'we'?"

"Cloud and I, we used to be—"

"Oh, so shortstop is in Shinra too!" A large hand reached forward with speeds that seemed unnatural for a man that size and Cloud was dragged to the front of the circle that had now surrounded them. "That's fine with me, I'll take out both of you in one shot!"

The front of the gun began to gather energy, forming a concentrated sphere. A loud whine was emitted as the particles gathered and then suddenly reached to a high-pitched shriek that let Zack know that there were only precious seconds left before his life ended. In a _bar_ of all places.

"Ya'll let 'em go, let the man talk!" They turned to see that the man with the toothpick continuously hanging from his mouth was waving down the gun. "Shinra ain't stupid, if they're truly with them right now, likely this entire place is already surrounded."

"Didn't think of that…" one of the men in AVALANCHE said, beginning to panic. "What do we do now, Barret?"

The one named Barret cocked his gun loudly. "We go out swingin'." Without warning, he spun around and kicked the door open, aiming the barrel out into the darkness. "You're gonna have to kill me 'cause I ain't not going out silently!"

Behind him, his gang cheered and also ran out, screaming "Viva la AVALANCHE!"

"…what just happened here?" the other girl asked into the new silence.

"We're closing early, that's what happened," Tifa sighed, throwing a dishtowel down. "Finish up, tip me for the hell you just put me through, and then get out."

But after the last round of drinks was over, still several people remained. She expected Cloud and his friend to stay behind, but the older man and the girl were also still there. "You can sit there all you want to but I'm not serving anything else," she growled as she began to clean up, collecting beer bottles from the tables.

"I wanna know more about Sephiroth," the man said and the teenager nodded in agreement. "My trip to space was cancelled in favor of them pushing more funding into another project. Word on the street has it that Sephiroth is Shinra's creation. Is it true?"

"Well, the army does sort of mold you into their image," Zack began.

"Don't bullshit me, I know all of you have mako in you but that's not what I'm talking about." He pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket before giving them a look of remorse. Instead, he replaced them and switched the toothpick in his mouth for a new one. "Look, we got off to a bad start. Name's Cid Highwind, ever hear of it?"

Everyone there shook their heads and the man laughed. "Of course you haven'! That's because they dropped me at the last second. That…and that useless Shera."

"The aircraft?" Cloud asked.

"I'm not talking about an aircraft, _this _actually was a person, the most infuriating woman known to mankind. Ruined me more than my ex-wife did ten years ago."

Tifa rolled her eyes from where she had resumed drying and putting away the mugs, but said nothing. The others leaned closer to listen.

"For awhile, Shinra had been exploring the possibilities of a shuttle launch," Cid continued. "They'd conquered everything here on Earth, why shouldn't they want to head to space? Well, I had my pilot's license but that just wasn't good enough for me. _I _wanted to be the one to go up there. And sure enough, I was picked."

His eyes went dark as he remembered back to that time, and for a moment, they wondered if he was going to finish. But with a shake of his head, he pressed on. "It's what I'd waited my whole life for. And just when we're about to blast off, _that bitch_—" Tifa and the girl gasped—"Ruined everything! Do you want to know what she told me? She had to triple check the oxygen tanks. Houston's already begun T-minus ten seconds and _now _she wants to check them! I could've taken off, incinerating her alive down there, and I ought've! But…I didn't."

"When I powered down that rocket, it felt like I had turned off the ignition to my life. Only days later I got the word that Shinra was cancelling the space project in favor of finding more mako. My name used to be all over the news but now I only get 'Cid who?' Just tossed aside like yesterday's newspaper." He gave another sight and force of habit caused him to pull out the pack of cigarettes again; this time he didn't hesitate to light one.

The room was quiet for a moment until Zack prodded, "And this should relate to Sephiroth…how?"

Cid gave him another tiring look and said, "You SOLDIERs have mako in you, right? Sephiroth's a SOLDIER, but he's not like the rest of you. Sephiroth wasn't even big news before the space program was cancelled, and suddenly now that it is, here comes a rising star. It ain't a coincidence. That bastard stole my shine."

"…Right…" the girl said, cutting him off to keep him from continuing. She flashed the room a smile and announced, "I'm Yuffie Kisaragi from Wutai and I—"

She paused as Zack jerked up, staring intently at her. "I know you…"

She gasped, looking astonished and flattered. "I knew it! I've finally gained fame as the most feared materia pirate ever! Admit it, you're terrified of me!"

"Oh, we're petrified," Cloud muttered behind his hand propped on the table. "Terrified of all five feet of you."

A scathing glare later and she was back to fawning over Zack. "So, where'd you hear of me, hm? Saw my name on TV? Read about me? Came across one of my victims?"

"No, you tried to go Sailor Moon on me and I gave you the boot," Zack said, scratching his head sheepishly. Perhaps not the best circumstances for them to have met.

Her face fell, looking put-out. "Oh. So that was you. You know, you…saved my life that day," she added, looking down at the floor. "You yelled at me to go home because there was a war going on and I did just that. We lost fifty other people that day."

Zack wasn't sure how to feel about the compliment, knowing he too had done his share of killing that day. He made a non-committal noise and decided not to say anything on the topic.

Just then, front door was pushed open again and Barret walked through quietly, politely shutting the door behind him. He made his way over to their table and sat down, lifting a finger and opening his mouth to speak—

"We're closed," Tifa cut him off.

"What? It's only nine!"

"What happened to your friends?" Cloud asked nervously, looking at the door as though expecting them to storm through at any minute.

Barret waved his arm tiredly, as though dismissing the question. "I dunno. Those fools ran off somewhere, shootin' up the night. But then I remembered, we have two of Shinra's own right here." He sat up straighter and gave Cloud and Zack a hard stare. "Perfect hostages. They ain't gonna just let their own die like that."

"Oh, yes they will," Zack laughed.

That seemed to take the steam from the man's plan. "Well, damn." But another idea hit him and he leaned forward, his hulking mass filling the table. "What rank are you?"

"I _was _a First," Zack said and he almost kicked himself when he saw that gleam in his eyes get brighter. "He was an infantryman," he pointed to Cloud.

Barret didn't even look at Cloud while saying, "Blondie ain't worth nothin'—"

"Screw you!" Cloud yelled at him.

"You on the other hand," Barret went on, "You're rare. There's what, ten Firsts at any given time? If that. They'll be wantin' you back."

Zack couldn't hold back his frustrated sigh and leaned forward, raking his hands through his hair. "What part of _was _don't you understand? Shinra wants us dead! Actually, according to their files, we're already dead. So go ahead, use us as hostages. They'll kill us and then kill you too."

"What did you two _do_?" Tifa asked. She crossed her arms as though wanting to ward off whatever dangerous secret they held.

Cloud spoke up this time, quietly stating, "You were there. You remember how Sephiroth torched Nibelheim and killed your father in cold blood."

Tifa nodded and bit her lip.

"Damn missy, sorry to hear that," Cid told her. "Want a cigarette?" he offered, but she shook her head.

"We killed Sephiroth that day by throwing him into the reactor," Cloud went on. "At least…we thought we did. But after that battle, we were so tired, we basically collapsed right there. Next thing we know, we're the newest experiments by this old guy named Hojo."

"Did you say Hojo?" Another voice asked, and all heads whipped around to find out who had spoken. No one at the table had sounded so…dark. Not evil, but the voice belonged to someone that seemed as though they were troubled.

A man materialized from the far corner of the room, his footsteps causing a clinking sound as he walked. He didn't come all the way into the light, hesitating right outside of the reach of the overhead chandelier. Still, they were able to make out his odd leather and tattered red cloth ensemble and the even stranger gold boots with a point that made them a weapon on their own. He blinked his red eyes in the light and asked again, "Are you referring to Professor Hojo?"

"Well, hel-lo Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome!" Yuffie whispered, eyeing him appreciatively. If the other man heard, he didn't act like it.

"You've heard of him too?" Cloud asked instead, wondering how someone as…_eccentric _as him would know Hojo.

"Hojo and I…go way back," he said, as though that explained anything.

"Isn't Hojo like, sixty?" Zack wondered aloud.

The other man nodded. "Yeah, so am I."

Tifa, Cloud and Zack gasped, Cid dropped both his toothpick and his cigarette, Barret yelled, "Say what!" and Yuffie gave a broken-hearted squeal. "You're lying!" she declared, not willing to believe it.

"Due to Hojo, I'm perpetually stuck looking like this," he told them.

"You say that like that's a bad thing," Yuffie objected, and this time, the others groaned.

The comment had the opposite effect, and his features became rigid. "My name is Vincent Valentine—"

"You can be _my _Valentine—"

"I used to be a Turk. I was given the assignment to guard the Shinra scientists on an especially top-secret assignment…in Nibelheim." His red eyes met Cloud's, who jerked but said nothing. "It was the start of project S. Project…Sephiroth. With Hojo was a beautiful scientist named Lucrecia." Without meaning to, his voice grew soft when he mentioned her name.

"Lucrecia offered up herself as the host of the experiment, which was to take Jenova cells and inject them directly into a fetus. She and…Hojo created the fetus."

"Wait, Hojo boinked her?" Zack asked stupidly.

Vincent sighed and looked away, saying, "I _really _don't want to think about that."

"Artificial insemination?" Tifa offered.

"That's what I tell myself to sleep at night," he responded. "Either way, I was against the project and couldn't fathom what mother would allow her child to be used as nothing more than a lab rat. I tried to stop her, but…when I threatened to ruin everything he was striving for, Hojo shot me and _I _became his next experiment."

At that, his face closed in on itself and he took a step backwards. "It doesn't matter; this is what I must pay for my sins. I can never be forgiven…" He faded slowly back into the darkness from whence he came.

"Freak," Barret muttered.

"I think I've had enough of all this Shinra talk for one day," Cid announced and stood up, the others following suit. "I still have questions to ask you two so don't leave town!" He gave Cloud and Zack a glare for emphasis before leaving the bar.

Yuffie and Barret followed him but Cloud posed the question of asking for a place to stay for the night. Zack figured he was referring to staying _with _Tifa but she instead pointed across the street. "There's an inn there. It's only 200 gil a night."

"_Only_?" Zack breathed, checking his pockets to even see if they had that much. Likely not. For them, sleeping was wherever was comfiest but least conspicuous.

Tifa turned towards the corner of the room and called out, "You need to go home too, Vincent. I'm not about to leave you here."

"You do it every night," he replied, his low voice barely audible. "I've been sleeping in the basement for three months."

"How come I've never seen you? I go down there to restock every day."

"…I choose not to be seen…"

The three gave the corner one final disturbed look before Zack turned to Tifa to thank her. "It was nice seeing you again as well. Happy you didn't join Hojo's House of Horrors."

After locking up (Vincent still inside. If nothing else, he was a free security guard), they split ways, Tifa to her new residence in Midgar and Zack leading the way to the inn.

~.~.~

200 gil and a cutesy sleeping song later, they awoke to morning.

And found themselves bombarded by the same group as the night before…including Vincent.

"We're coming with you and there's nothing you can do about it!" Yuffie announced the instant they stepped out of the inn door. "This is when we bond together for a common goal, no matter how big the challenge or how hard the obstacle!"

She paused and glanced in Vincent's direction, who had chosen to follow Zack and Cloud before her. Her speech was interpreted by the others as she's going because _he's _going.

"We don't even know what our goal is," Zack told them. "As it stands, this was actually going to be where our trip ended. Cloud and I were going to set up shop as mercenaries, doing whatever, whenever, if the price was right."

Cloud gave him an uneasy look, noting that didn't quite sound right.

Barret pushed his way to the front of the group, pointing a beefy finger in Zack's face. "Quit yer yappin'! You met us so now you're gonna have to put up with us!" And with that, he walked forward and was _absorbed _into Zack.

He shuddered violently, patting himself all over trying to figure out where he went. "What the hell was that!"

"He joined your party," Cloud said simply, like it was the most obvious thing ever.

"Who's party?" Zack stared at him, his eyes frantic and his nerves completely shot.

"Your party," Cloud shrugged. "Looks like you've been voted team captain."

"I have a party?"

"Yep, and I'm joining it too!" Cid said, and also melded in with him.

"DON'T DO THAT!" Zack shrieked, making passerby stare at him. By now, his sanity had completely shattered as he began to twitch and scratch his arm violently. "Get out of me! Get out of me!"

"You'll get used to it," Cloud reassured him. "But…I think only three people can fit a party. Hmm…" he studied the remaining people and said, "I pick Tifa and Vincent."

But Yuffie wasn't hearing any of that and immediately grabbed Vincent's arm, pulling him slightly off balance. "No! Wherever my hubby goes, I go too!"

"I am going to tell you once and once only and then whatever happens next, I am not responsible for," Vincent's deep voice growled, looking down at what was quickly becoming the bane of his existence. "Let go of me."

"I'll become a party leader, then you can join with me," Yuffie simpered. She wasn't about to take no for an answer.

In a move almost too quick to decipher, Vincent shoved her away and grabbed Tifa instead, running full-force at Cloud. He giggled at the tingling sensation of them joining his team, nodding in satisfaction.

"I wanted Vincent on my team," Zack grumbled, gaining control of his hysterics. "No matter. I'm getting this feeling to head west. Something lies in wait for us there."

Cloud hummed in agreement. "I thought it was just me, but I feel it too."

The two new parties set off from Midgar with a sulking Yuffie following behind.

* * *

><p>I figured it'd be better for everyone to meet at once as opposed to dragging it out and having them meet one by one like in the actual FF7 game. As I'm striving to make this <em>not <em>another game recap, I figured it was the quickest way to accomplish that.

Also with that said…I don't think I'll be featuring the animal characters, Cait Sith (am I the only one who thinks that should be a Star Wars character?) or Red XIII. Cait Sith is a definite no, unfortunately and it's possible I might add Red…or he'll make a cameo appearance.


	16. Disillusion

I know, it's been eons since I've updated and I do humbly apologize for that. I can't even say I was busy as that's not entirely true (well...two weeks spent being sick, had an epiphany with my direction for school and then got a PS3 with FF13 as a birthday present to myself which all kinda put writing on the back burner, heh-heh… :)

This is one of those chapters that has a few elements that will appear later in the story but is mainly meant to progress the scene along. I wish that for such a long hiatus, I had two chapters for you guys but it's the summer and life is winding down so I should be able to put out another one soon. Till then, hope you can enjoy this one.

* * *

><p><strong>Disillusion <strong>

For the third time, they traveled through the hot, thirsty wastelands outside of Midgar. Zack honestly wondered how he hadn't noticed beforehand that they were making a circle just by the desert landmarks alone. He looked over at Cloud, who seemed to be in higher spirits, actually hefting the Buster sword over his shoulder instead of dragging it through the dirt like previously. Probably because he was enjoying having his ego stroked as a team leader. But Zack would be lying if he said that he didn't feel the same.

Looking to his other side, he saw that Yuffie was digging in her bag roughly, as though needing to desperately find something. She sighed with relief as she found whatever it was she needed, pulling back with a glowing orb in her hand.

"Where'd you steal that from?" Zack asked, half joking.

"I didn't steal it!" she snapped, sticking her tongue out at him. "I found it up in the mountains near Wutai."

Zack tried holding his hand out so that he could see it but she pulled away, protectively clutching the materia to her chest. "It's my lucky materia, nobody can touch it!"

"Do you even know how to use it?" Cloud threw in.

"Yes! It's a, um…water materia!"

"There's no such thing as a water materia," Zack informed her.

"…Oh. Well I knew that!" She held her head up as though that'd make her more believable.

"I'm sure you did," Zack said and before she could stop him, he reached across and snatched the materia, holding out his other hand to push her back. The orb was cool to the touch, making him figure it was likely an ice element. Now, how to use magic again…

While it'd been years, using materia was like riding a bike, you never quite forget how to do it. At least that was the theory.

The instant Zack began to focus his attention, several things happened at once. A _crack _rang through the air, a flash detonated in his palm and suddenly he found himself very…wet.

Adding to the confusion, the others chose that moment to appear, staring at him with equally miffed expressions. "I thought you said there wasn't such a thing as water materia," Cid said and Zack didn't miss the sarcasm.

"There…isn't. I have no idea what the hell that was." As the only person that truly understood materia, this clearly wasn't what any of them wanted to hear and collectively, everyone took a step away from him. _Oh come on! Like I'm to know _every _materia! _

"You know, it's probably just an ice materia that melted in this heat. Yeah, that's it! The heat melted the ice I formed, that's all. No need to worry!"

"I ain't trustin' it," Barret decided, turning away to keep walking. "Not trusting anything made by Shinra."

"_That's_ a very long list," Tifa muttered to Cid, rolling her eyes. "The quicker question is what's _not _made by Shinra."

"My pride and beauty isn't," Cid said, loud enough for everyone to hear him. "And once we cross to the eastern continent, I can show you."

Cloud raised his head, finally tuning into the conversation. The eastern continent held Nibelheim but there were a few other towns as well. "What's over there?

"Transportation!" Cid announced happily. As though to emphasize his point, the hot winds picked up, blowing the sand into their faces. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and the sun beamed down on them mercilessly. Even the cacti were sagging, looking like they wanted to tell Mother Nature to go screw herself and let them die right then and there.

"I could do with a drink of that water," Yuffie said, swallowing hard. Her head slowly turned towards Zack, eyeing him pointedly.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I actually agree with her," Vincent finally spoke, also looking at Zack with an intense stare. His eyes locked on the materia in his hand, subconsciously licking his lips.

"It's ice! And it doesn't work in the heat! I about killed myself trying it the first time, does nobody care about that?" Zack clutched it tightly, looking around at them frantically as they all began to gather towards him. "Besides, you can't use it without me as I'm the only one trained to—"

The whirl of Barret's arm cannon cut him off.

"Gettin' mighty thirsty myself, if you know what I mean," he said, cracking his neck easily as though this was just another everyday kill.

Two hours into their trip and already they'd turned on him! "What the hell is this, anarchy? And what happened to you Barret not trusting anything from Shinra?"

"Materia is made from condensed mako. Mako comes from the earth. Shinra just sells materia. Take out the business end and they're just selling what's already naturally made. So, you gonna fork over that materia or am I gonna have to blow a hole through your chest?"

Zack looked down at the materia, wondering if it was really worth dying for.

He decided it was.

He did a snap-kick to Barret's gun, which caused it to lockup before making a mad break for it into the desert wilderness. The others were already after him with Yuffie being in the lead, sheer determination on her face. He whipped around and put on the speed.

_Great, six _more _people that I have to hide from! What happened to we're all in this together? _He looked behind him again to see that the group was only a few yards behind them. Yuffie was nearly within arms reach. _She's going to kill me! Just turn around and sock her one, Zack, it's okay! It'll be self-defense! _Another look; she was breathing down his neck.

Without warning, he came to a halt and turned to face her, holding out his hand. He meant to give the materia back to her so she'd be Barret's problem but with her running full-force, she plowed directly into his fist, going down in a flailing heap.

The others stopped and gathered around her, Tifa kneeling to prop her head up. Looking up at Zack she snarled, "You hit a woman! What kind of sick person are you!"

"I didn't hit her! She ran into my fist!" He pled, looking around for sympathy.

Cid pinched the bridge of his nose, hanging his head. "She ran into yer fist? C'mon son, I'd sooner believe she knocked her damn self out then that!"

"You gon' pay for hurting lil' Yuffie like that!" Barret raged, as though he were her personal savior. The gun was unstuck now, the inner chamber making that sickening whine again.

"Oh, it's 'lil' Yuffie' now? When the hell did she become so important?" Zack pointed to her lying on the ground, groaning. "She's an optional character! She's not even supposed to be here!"

"Neither are you," Cloud interjected. The scathing look Zack threw him could melt metal.

"Enough, all of you!" The group parted down the middle as Vincent stormed to the front, feet clanking loudly as he walked. "I didn't spend fifty years sleeping in a basement just to wake up and have to deal with this! Zack, use the water materia to wake Yuffie up and then—

"It's not a water materia!"

"—and then give it back! I can't believe I'm actually sticking up for her, but she found it first. It's only right."

"I was actually going to do that before she ran into me." Zack didn't miss the groans of disbelief from the group but wasn't about to try to convince them again of his side of the story. He knelt in front of Yuffie and tried the materia again, this time the orb giving a deep throb before water sprayed down around them.

Before he could even register his amazement, someone shoved him roughly to the side and knelt to the ground. Barret slurped up a small pool of water, using his hands to try to dig out more. At the same time, Cloud was leaning over Zack, sucking on his shirt collar to remove any moisture.

"I…wasn't aware you felt that way about me…" He watched as Cloud moved to a spot that was sickeningly close to his armpit area.

"I'm sorry Zack, but…I'm _so _thirsty!" That was all he offered before he continued gnawing on his clothes.

A loud whistle interrupted the futile drinking fest as Cid pointed ahead of him. "If you twats could man-up for five seconds, seems like we made it to a settlement."

Zack hadn't realized it what with running for his life, but the desert sand had ended to be replaced with long, grassy plains. And here in the middle of those plains was a structure that appeared to be a barn. Zack could just make out large yellow animals strolling an enclosure.

"Chocobos!" Yuffie screamed, jerking up from a dead sleep.

Tifa cupped a hand over her eyes to see better. "You're right, they do look like—where are you going?"

The girl had already closed half the distance to the barn, making the others struggle to catch up. The instant she reached the front door, she began pounding and demanding to be let in. The door opened up and a heavyset man with a receding hairline studied the sudden group of people in front of him with a wary blink before an over-eager smiled spread across his face.

"Weeell! Look what we have here! Travelers? Where ya headin'?"

"We've not fully discussed that yet, but—" Yuffie began before Barret pushed her out of the way this time, 'sweet lil' Yuffie' be damned.

"Sir, I _need _to borrow your sink! It's important!"

The man's smile wavered for just a bit before regained himself. "Are you needing some pipe or maybe the faucet…?"

"The whole thing! All of it!" And without waiting, he rammed past him and into the house.

Tifa cleared her throat, smiling politely. "Excuse our friend, he's dehydrated."

"Should've said that sooner! Janice can make you a cold glass of lemonade faster than a pepper jack rabbit!" He gestured for them to follow him inside.

In the kitchen, a woman stirred a pitcher with lemons and ice floating at the top. "Jim, we have company? It's been so long since we've had visitors!" She handed out glasses to them, smiling benevolently like a perfect hostess.

"You're also welcome to stay the night," the one named Jim said, causing everyone to beam. "Of course, it's 300 gil. Per person."

All movement ceased, the words weighing heavily in the air. From around the rim of his cup, Cloud asked, "…is there a charge for the lemonade?"

"No sweetie, that's free," Janice gave a motherly coo.

"Good, hit me with another one," he sighed, holding out the glass for a refill.

"Would you…excuse us for just a second?" Tifa stepped in. Grabbing everyone's shoulders, she spun them around from the old couple and crouched for a huddle. "I think we all agree that this a fucking ripoff. At the same time, I'm tired, sweaty, and smell like a pack of mules and a shower plus a bed sounds like heaven right about now. So, who has money?"

"I spent the last of my gil on the other hotel," Cloud said with a shrug.

Vincent actually looked sheepish as he said, "I'm between jobs." Tifa caught the hidden 'unemployed' message and groaned.

"Yuffie? You're a highway pirate, what do you have?"

The girl looked equally flustered, mumbling, "Well, you see…it's been awhile since I was actually able to make someone give me anything. Most just laugh and keep on walking."

_I wonder why, _Zack snorted

"And what about you, Zack?" Tifa demanded.

"Wha? Me? Um…same as Cloud! Yep, used the last of it on the Midgar hotel that you so nicely pushed on us. You know, instead of letting us stay at your place for free."

"Don't guilt trip me," she warned, shoving a finger in his face. "That's probably going to be the last time I have a room to myself for awhile so I'm happy I got to enjoy it. But really guys, does _anyone _have any money?"

"You know, there's a reason we were in the Slums," Cid said. "People that have 300 gil to spare party on the top plate. Everyone else drinks the cheap, watery excuse of beer down below. All of us together probably ain't got 300 gil."

Just then, Barret came from around the corner, wiping his mouth on his arm and the front of his shirt soaking wet. "Damn, that's some mighty fine water…hm? Why's kick-ass Barbie over there looking so sour?" He gestured at Tifa.

"Barret. Please, for the love of god tell me that you have some money," she begged.

A long pause, then: "Sure. How much you talkin'?"

"Umm…" Tifa did the math on her fingers, then chuckled. "You know, nothing much, just…about 2100 gil?"

This time, Barret froze. "2100 gil? For what?"

Pressing her fingertips together while watching the floor she said, "We were all going to get—"

"Aw, it don't matter! Anything for you, beautiful." He winked at her and Cid and Yuffie struggled to keep Tifa back from attacking him. Barret didn't seem to notice, instead calmly pulling out a wad of cash and counting out the bills for her.

She snatched them away and was about to give them to the couple before asking, "Where'd you get so much money anyways?"

He looked up from their huddle to see Jim counting out pills on the counter and Janice rolling out bread dough, neither paying attention to them. "It's from AVALANCHE," he whispered to the group. "We…run a covert operation against Shinra. Take from the rich and give to the needy."

"You're not giving anything, you kept it for yourself," Tifa muttered.

"I just gave you 2100 gil, didn't I?"

To this, she had nothing. Clearing her throat as she straightened up, she painted on a massive smile for Jim as she gave him the money. "Think that should cover us."

"Mighty fine folks you are, might fine!" Jim beamed, clapping her hard enough on the shoulder to make her stumble. "Right this way then, I'll show you where you'll be staying."

He led them down the hall to a single bedroom with only one bed. "We don't usually get groups as large as you," Jim said, not meeting any of their eyes. "But you could alternate turns on the bed every hour. Well then, night!" He fled, closing the door behind him.

"…anyone else feeling like we just got screwed?" Cloud asked into the silence.

"Long and hard with no lube," Zack added.

"And no protection," Cid snorted.

"Okay, enough!" Yuffie cried, stepping away from them and into the center of the room. "I'll nap on the floor, it's not that big of a deal."

"I claim the closet," Vincent announced, stepping over to it to open the door and survey the space. "I prefer the dark. I've not…completely forgotten my sins." And with that, he disappeared inside. They could hear him shuffling behind the door as he got comfortable and then soft snoring.

Cid walked to the window to open it before sitting down underneath, lighting up a cigarette. "Ya'll let the lady have the bed," he told Zack, Cloud and Barret, who were eyeing the mattress hopefully. Their spirits fell though when they realized that letting Tifa have it was the _gentleman _thing to do. Damnit, chivalry.

Tifa happily threw herself on the bed, laying claim to the enviable softness. From her bag, she pulled out a brush and began to tackle the gnarls that had formed due to the heat. "Hey, Barret…what happened to your daughter?" She suddenly asked.

Barret had managed to curl into a small enough mass to take the corner opposite of Cid, propping himself up on one arm as he lay down.. "She's with Aerith. That girl loves her some kids and usually watches all the little'uns in the neighborhood. I have Marlene stay with her when…I'm out on business."

Zack had frozen in trying to fluff up his bag for a pillow. "Did..you say Aerith? Not a girl with brown hair that sells flowers, right?"

Barret raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, that's her. Don't sell too many flowers now though. She used to but then some bighshot Shinra guy started liking her and buying all the flowers from her. Now she doesn't come out in public too much, usually stays holed up at home or the old church."

That was her. That was definitely her and Zack fought (and lost) the battle to not miss her as much as he suddenly did. Then something hit him. "Who's the mysterious admirer?"

The big guy shrugged and rolled over, turning on the safety to the arm cannon. "Some Turk, I think. Black hair, dry voice. Think his name is Sing or something."

_Tseng, _Zack snarled. Of course he'd move in now that he thought Zack was dead! But it sounded like Aerith wasn't giving him the time of day. Maybe, just maybe, he still stood a chance…

He hated that he'd been swept away on another adventure before he was able to speak to her, especially after getting so close. But confronting the manic Sephiroth needed to come first or else there might not be a world left for them to be together. _I'll come back for you, Aerith, I promise. Once all of this is over. Whatever _this _is. _


	17. When a Stranger Comes A'Callin

This chapter is going to make it seem that this is perhaps following canon to the original FF7 storyline though I'm just borrowing the locations to move along the scene. All settings are completely unrelated to those events. With that said, hope you enjoy!

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><p><strong>When a Stranger Comes A'callin<strong>

Zack awoke to the smell of bacon and sweat.

He bolted up, realizing that he'd shifted somehow and had been sleeping with his face in Cid's armpit. He gagged and covered his mouth, trying not to wake the man up. His pride wouldn't live this down if anyone else were awake to see it.

Which is exactly why fate decided Vincent would choose now to quietly slip out of the closet. Blue eyes met red ones, pleading for his vow of silence. The other man only blinked before silently leaving out the room.

It wasn't until he was in the hall that Zack heard him cackle "HA!"

In turn, the others began stirring, waking up with monstrous yawns and scratching bodily parts without a modicum of modesty. Their fuddled brains hadn't woken up yet to the point of caring. Since he was already fully awake due to the assault on his nose, Zack found that he indeed did care and left out as well so as to not be traumatized twice in less than five minutes.

At the tiny dining room table sat Jim and Janice, almost obstructed from view by the mountains of pancakes, eggs, toast and the afore-smelled bacon. "Alright! I've not had a breakfast like this since leaving Gongaga!" Without hesitation, he grabbed a clean plate on the side and was in the process of beginning to fill it up when Jim placed a firm hand on his wrist.

"Now hold on there a minute. We appreciate ya'll stayin' the night out here in these lonely plains but we just ain't got the resources to feed all of you."

Zack stared dumbly at him, cutting his eyes back to the mounds of food. "Right…and what do you call all of that?" He pointed to the table.

"Janice likes to cook a week's worth ahead of time. Makes it easier what with all the farmwork that has to be done around here."

The sensation from last night of being taken advantage of had now multiplied tenfold. "There's no way all of that will keep for a week. Especially not the eggs!"

"Freezer bags," Jim coolly replied, continuing to eat his own eggs.

"Those don't always work!"

"Vacuum-sealed freezer bags."

"Who vacuum-seals _eggs_?" Zack screamed.

"We do," Jim stated, completely unaffected.

Without even trying to hide his feelings, Zack loudly placed his plate back on the stack—which also begged to question why there were several other plates on the table but he knew he would've been rebuffed with another excuse—and started back down the hall. Just before he reached there though, the others came out, sniffing the air for a hopeful meal.

"Don't bother. Jim says all of that has to last the rest of the week," he grumbled, but not louder than his stomach, which only served to piss him off more.

"That's enough breakfast for two weeks," Cloud whined. "And shouldn't food be covered in the 300 gil?"

"I know you fine folks must truly be hungry," Jim suddenly said, turning around with a good-humored smile. "Tell you what. Another 100 gil and I'll throw in a plate for the road. How's that sound?"

The group paused longingly at the table, licking their lips at the sight of butter melting its way down the stack of pancakes. Then everyone's eyes met Tifa's…who had no choice but to turn pleading brown eyes to Barret. "…Just…another 100 gil?"

He shook his head. "Damn sweetie, I'm broke." Tifa flinched at the pet name but remained calm. "I didn't expect these geezers to charge like we at a five-star hotel."

Cid violently ripped the toothpick from his mouth and crushed it under his boot. "I'm gettin' the hell outta here then before they find something else to charge us with!"

Kicking open the door, he started toward the chocobo pen beside the house, the animals still asleep as feathery yellow clusters. Hopping the fence, Cid promptly sat on one and dug his heels in. "Giddyup!"

The bird jerked awake with a "BWAK!" and began running around within the enclosure, attempting to throw the unwelcomed guest off its back.

The door opened again and both Jim and Janice stepped out, rifles in their hands. Janice's motherly smile from the night before had been replaced by a look of calm determination as she leveled the barrel at Cid. Jim aimed his at the others.

"Now, if there's one thing I just can't abide by, it's people stealing from others. We brought you into our home, gave you shelter, and look at what you do. Go and steal one of my chocobo! Well, this is a mighty big plain. Nearest town is a two hour drive and nothing else around for miles. Yes, it'll be like you just disappeared in the wind…"

His finger cocked the gun. It would be the last time he ever moved again.

A large shadow descended from above and before anyone could point, scream, blink, the creature landed on the couple and began to feast. The red wings of the beast did little to conceal the carnage being torn from the bodies. Zack wanted to yell at the others to run, that he'd handle this, but even he was too stricken to move.

The monster abruptly came up short, turning its yellow eyes on them. "Go!" it commanded and for a second, the eyes flickered to red and Vincent's face could be seen. He himself remained crouched, growling as he fought to remain human.

"Vincent…what happened?" Yuffie took a step forward but quickly leapt back as a claw swiped at her.

"I said go! I'll catch up, but if you don't go now…you might be next." The voice wasn't Vincent's anymore, but a guttural snarl that belonged to only a being of hell. It had the desired effect though as she turned and ran for the chocobo pen, the rest following behind.

Zack plopped on his stead and similar to Cid's, it sprang up and began running in a circle. "How the hell do you control these things?"

Cloud had disappeared to the stables behind the house but came back with an armful of what looked like grass. "Sylkis greens! Chocobos won't let you ride them unless you feed them first."

Zack felt like doing a facepalm as he vaguely remembered that one crucial detail about the creatures. As they ate, they stopped thrashing and by the meal's end, were quite amicable, chirping happily at their riders.

Now wasn't the time for pleasantries however. Zack could only hope (as sick as it sounded) that Vincent hadn't finished with his own breakfast yet. He gently pushed his heels into the flanks of the bird and this time, it started trotting towards the exit. It took one look at the gore on the ground though and made a flat out break for it in no particular direction, fearing for its life.

He kept the lead for a few minutes until he noticed Cloud was closing in on him. Sitting up in a jockey position, the boy looked all too thrilled with their newest form of transportation, joyfully shouting out, "I was born to ride!" before pulling ahead and leaving the others in his dust. At least someone was enjoying themselves…

Two hours later they figured it was safe enough to slow down to a trot. Morning had now become early noon with the unforgiveable sun directly overhead. Zack already felt the urge to ask for Yuffie's mysterious materia again and he'd even be generous this time and share whatever it was it procured, but other things quickly took precedent.

The sky was momentarily darkened as a pair of ragged wings blocked out the sunlight. Seconds later, it was gone and now taking the lead was Vincent, hovering twenty feet off the ground and by all standards, back to normal. That is, excluding the new ten-foot wingspan. He quickly took off again, circling a small rock formation up ahead that would offer shade, at least until the sun changed positions.

Once everyone had dismounted and the chocobos had curled up for a quick nap, he too alighted to the ground, the red wings changing to again become his usual cape. A quick look around the group told him that they hadn't completely made up their minds to trust him. _Wise choice. _But an explanation was in order and thus he began his story.

"I suppose you're wondering how I got this way…" he began.

"Not really, you said so in Midgar it's from Hojo," Tifa cut him off.

"…Correct. After the experiments, I found that I had…abilities. A strength and endurance no man should have—"

"That's what she said!" Cid snorted. He didn't hide his grin when Vincent narrowed his red eyes at him.

"_Continuing_. Once I realized I wasn't human anymore, I couldn't stand the sight of myself. That, and I felt such shame for allowing Lucrecia to be hurt, to use her own child as an experiment…"

The group looked at each other with varying degrees of worry, both for Vincent and his mental state. Finally Cloud asked, "And who's Lucrecia?"

"Sephiroth's mother."

The chorus of screams was so loud, the chocobos woke up and it took ten minutes before anyone could subdue them again. Once relative calm had been restored, Barret eloquently summed up their thoughts: "Whatchu talkin' bout?"

"Could've sworn I told you this already back in Midgar, but I suppose you weren't listening. Nobody seems to listen to me." He glanced at the others, waiting. No one took the self-pity bait.

With a sigh, Vincent sat down on the ground, removing one of his armored boots to empty the sand out of it before putting it on again."Sephiroth's mother was also a Shinra scientist who offered herself up as the test subject for the Jenova Project. She allowed herself to become pregnant with Hojo's child—"(they all collectively shuddered)—"thus making Sephiroth what he is today. But the experiments took a toll on Lucrecia, who became ill. If only I had been able to stop him, if only I could've talked sense into her...but after my own experiments, neither Hojo, Lucrecia nor Sephiroth were anywhere to be found. And I chose to cast myself away as punishment."

A moment of silence, then: "Interesting story and all but do we have to worry about that monster reappearing again?" Yuffie asked.

He shrugged. "Most times I can control it, due to a Protomateria also provided by Lucrecia which counters Chaos. But we need to get going now. For any other questions, you can check my Final Fantasy wiki."

They continued heading west, resting momentarily at sparse pools of water and nibbling on packs of trail mix that Yuffie was fortunate to have. By nightfall though, their stomachs were talking louder than they were and the trail mix had run out. They built a fire for the evening and hunched around it miserably.

"So, who's going out there to catch dinner?" Zack attempted at a joke.

"What's even out there to catch? I don't think we've even seen another living creature since the farm," Clout put in, griping his stomach in his arms.

On that note, Cid pulled himself up, turning his head thoughtfully to the side. "Boy's got a point. I'm thinking about eating me one of them chocobo. Haven't had a chocobo pot pie in forever."

"That's our ride, you moron," Tifa said tiredly, pulling her sticky shirt away from her skin. "You eat it, you walk."

"I kill it, nobody else eats it, how about that?" Cid countered. "Besides, they'll need food too. I'm not seeing anything for them to eat and they're not going to be as compliant come morning without a meal."

As he stood up, he pulled a serrated knife from a cargo pocket and crept towards the chocobos. His own had nestled down between the ones belonging to Barret and Cloud's, a scrawny thing that didn't look like it had much left in him anyways. Cid figured he was probably doing the thing a favor right now.

But as ironic interruptions would have it, seconds before he was about to stab it, a voice called out in the night.

"Whoa! People, man! We like, should take them back to camp and like, introduce them to Bugenhagen. He's always looking to expand the family."

The figure stepped into the firelight, showing in fact two people. One was a man, the other female, and both wore similar attire consisting of ripped jeans and a purple t-shirt emblazoned with "Cosmo Canyon Music Festival 2055".

"And just who the hell are you two?" Cid asked, still too hungry to care about formalities.

The woman took a long drag on something that he only now noticed she was holding, breathing out a slight blue smoke on the exhale. "We were taking a break from the party, just needing to _relax_, man. To enjoy the stars. That's when we saw your fire. And the spirits dancing…"

She trailed off with a vacant look, mouth still hung slightly open. Her companion easily removed the lit object from her hand, helping himself to a toke. "Come on back with us and bring your chocobos. All creatures and beings are welcome at the Canyon."

Cid knew he didn't have to be told twice and quickly roused the bundle of features that was previously about to be dinner. No one else complained as they followed the two strangers, the guy more or less supporting the woman whose face read she hadn't quite returned back to orbit yet.

The plains gave way to a steep dip that led down a cliff. Near the bottom rose up a large rock structure fitted with wooden bridges between platforms and peppered with bonfires. Already they could hear the music drifting down off the mountain.

Crossing one of the bridges leading into the canyon, they were almost swallowed within the entrance which was flooded with others wearing similar festival shirts of all colors. Others wore costumes that varied from the extreme to the flat-out ridiculous and a constant haze of smoke wisped between everything.

"Buddy system, bro. Don't want anyone to get lost before we get to the elder," their guide said, holding out a hand. Zack was closest to him and took it, holding the other hand out to Tifa. Together, they formed a chain and managed to weave around the vendors and street performers.

When they finally came to a stop, it was at one of the larger bonfires. Grouped around it were at least twenty others who had been relatively quiet as they listed to someone else speak. The talking further ceased when the new arrivals appeared, staring curiously between them, and the former speaker.

"I found them out in the desert, elder," the young man said, gesturing to them with a thumb. "Didn't have the heart to just leave them. That's not the Cosmo way."

The others nodded and applauded, blowing out their strange blue smoke at them from similar lit substances.

An elderly man rose to greet them, looking over their attire and nodding. "You've come a long way, it seems. I am Bugenhagen, leader of Cosmo Canyon. Here, you can rest and we have refreshments all around. Sam," he turned to the male of the former duo. "You're to be their host. Please show them where they'll be staying." With another polite nod, Bugenhagen drifted off into the crowd.

The one named Sam gestured for them to have a seat and forcefully pulled the woman down beside him. "The elder is pretty easy on everyone, man. As long as you don't bring any drama, he's cool." He graciously took what was clearly a joint from one of the other members when offered, savoring the taste before adding his own blue haze to the mix. "Hey, real loco weed! This stuff is hard to get, ever since Shinra banned it."

"Isn't that what they used to give chocobos?" Cloud asked, watching anxiously as Sam passed it to someone else. "They banned it because it caused neurological damage when they ate it."

"No, that's what they _want _you to think!" Another person said. "It's just another way for the Man to bring us down! If it grows naturally, they can't regulate it as well. People won't pay for what they can just find for free. So, they banned it completely. If they can't make money off if it, nobody can have it."

"It's why AVALANCHE is so awesome," the female companion to Sam suddenly said, but still sounding dreamy. "They dare to take Shinra head-on. They condemn mako and fight for a more natural world. I wish I could join…"

Nobody looked directly at Barret but he could feel what wasn't spoken. "I…actually happen to lead AVALANCHE."

There was a moment of consideration before the entirety of the group rushed him, sitting as close to him as occupancy would allow. "_You're _the fabled Barret Wallace? _The _Barret Wallace?" The woman said, eyes wide and full of hope.

"Ain't know I was a legend but yeah, that's me." Subtly, he clicked the safety off on the gun. It wouldn't surprise him if this turned out to be a trap.

"Let 'em breathe, Marcy," Sam told her.

The one named Marcy instead stood up and shouted, "Our leader is here! Our leader of the revolution! He's going to help us take down Shinra! Together, we shall have freedom!"

The crowd whooped in agreement, swamping Barret to thank him, pat his back, kiss his hand, marvel at the Shinra-made gun that would instead be used to take down its own maker. And through it all, he was eating it _up_!

The others of the party backed away from the frenzy, trying not to be run over by others that were eager to meet the new idol. "These are some seriously misguided souls if they think _he's _actually going to take down Shinra," Tifa shook her head.

"I'm findin' me something to eat and then crashing," Cid announced, stepping to the side to dodge another reveler. "Damn hippies!" he spat as he marched off to find a food vendor.

"Forgive my people, it's only at this time of the year that they get like this."

The remaining few looked around for the source of the new voice and almost missed it, had it not been sitting at their feet, patiently swishing its fire-tipped tail.

A red feline the size of a small lion tilted its head up at them before giving a solemn nod similar to the elder's. "I'm Nanaki, next heir of leadership to Cosmo Canyon. If you'd like, I'll be happy to show you to your quarters—"

He stopped himself short as Yuffie began to rub her hand behind his ears. Every humanoid part of him wanted to bite her but base instincts won out and he found himself purring. "Could you rub just a little lower? No, to the side…yeah, right there! Ahhhh, that feels niiiiice…"

"Ah-em!" Cloud cleared his throat. He at least wanted to know where they'd be staying for the night.

"Oh, right!" Nanaki said, reluctantly moving away from the girl. "Rooms…yes, this way please."

He led them down to a lower ledge, across another bridge and into an open doorway. There, several bunkbeds took up the wall. "It's not much as we make it a point to not rely on much technology but I do hope that you find it adequate."

"Is there a charge?" Zack figured he'd ask. The music festival likely wasn't a free for all.

However, Nanaki surprised them by answering, "No. The purpose of the festival is to inspire charity and good-will. Even the food is free, provided from the love of sharing. Well, let me not keep you. Must go and ensure nobody drinks themselves to death. Happened last year, caused quite the pandemonium."

Once they were alone, they gratefully claimed a bed, enough for each to have one to themselves. "I actually wouldn't mind just staying here. Even without the festival, free food!" Yuffie smiled.

"No materia," Tifa told her, yawning but fighting to stay awake.

"Yeah…that sucks. But still, free food!"

"Speaking of food, I'm going out to grab a plate," Zack told them, now wired awake from all the action. "Want me to grab you guys one?"

The others nodded but Vincent, who'd been silent since their arrival, shook his head while rubbing his stomach. "No, I'm still full from earlier…" he said quietly.

Having reminded them that he wasn't quite human, the rest were suddenly not so tired either and offered to join Zack instead. In almost a rush, they left the room, leaving Vincent behind.

Not that he minded, he preferred the solitude…right?

"Nobody understands me," he muttered, violently fluffing a pillow as he stewed in his darkness.

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><p>I'm happy to say that I do have a better idea of the direction I'd like to take this arc of the story. Don't think it'll be longer than ten chapters either but let me not make any promises, lol. Until next time though, show that little button below a bit of love. It likes it when you touch it right there. You naughty, naughty button!<p> 


	18. Survival of the Fittest

Thus, the plot thickens! Sort of…

This chapter will also still tie into the main plot, don't worry :)

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><p><strong>Survival of the Fittest<strong>

_ "She's coming! She'll be here soon! We've waited so long for her…" _

"Yes, yes, Mother's coming, you've told me that a hundred times already."

Lazard shooed away the shadowy black masses that were surrounding his area, hoping they'd find something more productive to do. Then again, how productive could something without a face, arms or legs be? He had been put in charge of checking the inventory for today and scratched through each item on his list as he verified that it was on the picnic table before him.

Two years ago, he'd injected himself with Angeal's cells to give him the power to defeat not only his own father but Rufus as well. Unfortunately, before he could carry out even half of that plan, he'd begun to deteriorate. This came as a surprise as Angeal was supposed to have been Hollander's 'perfect' creation. He'd laughed when he'd heard that Hollander had died from injecting himself with Genesis' cells, knowing that the first subject was incomplete. Now he felt like kicking his damn self for falling into the same trap.

His only chance of survival was the elusive Jenova cells. He'd painfully made his way to Nibelheim to the reactor that held Jenova's body, but it was empty. The search of the secret lab of the mansion also produced nothing but the dusty remains of the escaped experiments. He was getting frantic and at one point he even considered going to Hojo and begging to see if the man still had a sample of the cells.

His pride told him that he'd rather _die _than do that.

As luck would have it though, he happened to come across one of the black creatures just as he was leaving Nibelheim. It had been gleefully whispering about "Mother" and a reunion. Lazard considered leaving what he saw as a lunatic but froze as three people exited one of the abandoned houses.

Each had silver hair. Each had a familiar shade of green eyes. And each had a penchant for leather.

They made their way over to the black form that was still excitedly hissing about Mother, and the shortest one of the group patted what might've been its head. "Yes, very soon, we'll be able to see Mother again," he said. "Right now, we're just trying to find our brothers and sisters."

Lazard didn't want to stare but he couldn't help himself. They looked like Sephiroth's…siblings? Had Hojo created more with Project S than he initially made public?

"Oh, we have a guest!" The shortest man said, turning eager eyes to him. Lazard almost flinched back; he was actually youthful enough to still be called 'boy' but held a certain excitement behind his eyes that bordered on deranged.

The other two with him grinned and stepped forward. The one with the longer hair seemed the most pleasant while the other gave an outright smile and asked, "Wanna play?"

Lazard chose his words carefully. "…what are we playing?"

Before the larger one could answer, the youngest cut him off, turning up that sadistic smile. "Why, Find Mother of course! It's only the most important goal since our creation! It's the reason we're here! Without Mother…we're nothing. We _need _her—" the playfulness left his voice—"We _need _Mother and her cells! Only then will the reunion be complete."

Lazard cleared his throat and straightened one of the white gloves on his hands. "Riiight. By the way, may I ask your mother's name?"

The one that asked him to play gasped, actually putting a large hand over his open mouth in a dainty fashion. "Kadaj! He doesn't know Mother!"

"Now, now, Loz, that's alright. It's our job as Jenova witnesses to spread the word about her and her divine legacy," Kadaj told him.

The Director jerked his head up at the name. "Jenova? As in the celestial calamity, Jenova?"

That palpable excitement in Kadaj grew even stronger as he began to clap. "Yazoo, Loz, let's give this man a prize! He's already heard of her!"

Lazard nodded and took a deep breath; it was either now or never. "I'm actually looking for her myself. I…have an illness that I've heard she can cure." _Or so to speak. _

"Mother heals all her children," Yazoo said dreamily, closing his eyes. "All you have to do is seek her."

"Yes, well, how would one do that?"

The three brothers looked at each other and nodded as they seemed to share in a dark secret. "We'll be happy to help you find her," Kadaj said, walking slowly closer, his eyes unblinking. "But you must promise yourself to Mother and proclaim that all other beings are to be subservient to her. It will now be your duty as a Jenova's witness to spread the gospel of her cosmic conquests. You must give your complete allegiance to her! Do you, sir? Do you swear it on your _life_?"

"…yes?" Lazard could've done without the Jenova fanclub but it was likely the only way he was going to get better. He didn't see Hojo parting with any remaining Jenova cells he might've had. On the contrary, Hojo would be thrilled to see him die.

Kadaj smiled his approval and put a hand on his shoulder. "Great! But to be certain…"

Pain shot through Lazard's arm but Kadaj's grip was too tight for him to pull away. He could feel something pulsing under his skin as a dark aura emanated from the hand touching him, literally corroding his flesh right before his eyes. By the time he could finally wrench his body back, it was too late and he could already feel himself growing weaker from whatever it was.

"Geostigma," Kadaj explained and Yazoo and Loz cackled in glee. "It's nearly incurable except by mother herself. This way, we know you won't go rogue on us."

Still laughing like hyenas, the three mounted upon their advanced motorcycles and sped off, leaving Lazard to dismally follow by the wing granted to him from Angeal.

~.~.~

That was six months ago and now to add to the deterioration of his skin, he'd developed a hacking cough during the nights that caused him to spit up an ominous black ooze. Combined with his original degradation, he didn't see himself lasting the year.

But finally, they might've been nearing the end. Kadaj had announced that the time had come to begin the reunion.

Literally.

Upon the picnic tables were colorful Tupaware containers filled with food. All of the seats had balloons tied to them, complements of Yazoo, and the entrance of the park they were using hosted a large sign that read "Jenova Family Reunion". Kadaj looked quite pleased with himself after hanging that up.

"Wait! I need to add something!" Loz yelled, running up to where Lazard stood. He still had a frilly pink apron tied around him and held out his own container filled with something yellow. "Baked macaroni! Kadaj said I could bring something too." He seemed pleased with himself, his gruff voice going soft as he looked lovingly upon his creation.

As though he'd been summoned, Kadaj appeared, taking the container from his brother. "What's this?" he asked, opening the top to sniff inside.

"My famous macaroni! Mother will love it, won't she brother?"

Kadaj closed it again, but immediately slammed it on the ground, rendering the action pointless. "Mother's lactose intolerant, you idiot! You know she can't eat this! That's why we agreed on the potato salad!"

"But I don't wanna make potato salad!" Loz whined, trying to scrape his dish off the ground.

"Somehow I knew you were gonna fuck up, Fuck Up," Yazoo said easily, breezing over to the table with his own plastic tub. "That's why _I _took the liberty of making it." He pulled the top off of the potato salad and Lazard swore he saw a holy glow around it complete with an angelic "Ahhh!"

"Yeah, that's nice and all, but nothing tops my devil's food cake," came a new voice. Lazard knew who it was and groaned as the unfortunately still alive Genesis came into view.

Like himself, he'd long since been battling his degradation. After Sephiroth's death, both of them had lost their last living link to Jenova and had come across the traveling brothers with their prophecy of the returning "Mother". It was only out of self preservation that they worked together (gone was the previous bond with the Genesis Army as a means to ruin Shinra). Neither trusted Kadaj's crew—nor each other now—and they'd promised to join forces in killing them off once Jenova had been summoned.

Until then though, he was stuck with his last remaining subordinate, whom he could now easily do without.

"Feast your eyes on _this_," Genesis said, pulling off the lid to the cake dish.

If Yazoo's food had glowed, Genesis' positively radiated. Everyone flinched back except himself, who was wearing a pair of sunglasses. Once he figured he'd effectively blinded them long enough, he covered his cake, smiled superiorly, and set his own food down.

"So, how much longer do we have to wait?" he asked, cleaning his glasses on his shirt before stowing them away again.

"Not long," Kadaj answered, scanning the area. "We're just waiting on a few more guests and then we can get started."

"Any idea on when they'll be here?" Lazard questioned, looking at his watch. They had begun the setup over three hours ago. Aside from themselves and the black creatures that refused to stop murmuring about the reunion, they were alone.

Kadaj thought for a moment, then said, "No. No specific time. But they _will _be here. All of Mother's children know how to return home."

"So wait…you mean to tell us that there's still an indefinite amount of people that need to arrive within an indefinite amount of time at an undisclosed location with no definite knowledge of _how _they will get here?" Genesis questioned, upturning an eyebrow that he'd had to color back to black with a pencil.

"Well yes, but—"

"Gee, thanks for letting us know _now_," Genesis fumed, spreading his black wing and taking to the sky. "I'll be back, going to go get my nipples waxed."

Loz gave a screech and covered his ears as though that would erase what he'd already heard. Yazoo began to comfort him like a child and Kadaj fought to control a tweaking eye. "Shouldn't you be trying to hold on to all of your hair, considering your condition?" Lazard managed to ask him after a quick gag.

Genesis rolled his eyes, flying slowly in a circle to keep himself aloft. "My hair is only graying, it's not falling out like I have cancer."

"It's the chemo that makes the hair fall out," Lazard corrected him.

"Yeah, exactly what I said," Genesis blew him off and lazily drifted out of the park and out of sight.

Now with an indeterminable amount of time on his hands, Lazard sat and began to make balloon animals much to the delight of Loz.

* * *

><p>The idea to add "the Kadajians" (as I like to call them :) was a last minute idea, but one I'm happy about. Feels good to write with fresh characters. Plus, needed to tie up all those pesky loose ends.<p> 


	19. Five for Fighting

No, can it be? Finally, an update! I could give a list of reasons as to why it's been nearly four months but…nobody cares about that :) Here's to hoping things move along a bit faster now. Didn't realize this story has been going on for over a year!

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><p><strong>Five for Fighting<strong>

After the festival at Cosmo Canyon, Zack was glad to be back out in the open and sleeping under the stars.

Of course, after five days straight of partying, they others were all out of fucks to give for the former SOLDIER (both Zack and Sephiroth) and he had nearly had to fight them to continue their journey. Their crippling hangovers from when they awoke on the sixth day helped in his favor but it was the frenzy that had grown out of control with Barret that ultimately tipped the scale back in his favor. What had started as an adoring—if not disturbing—fan club had exploded into all-out worship.

"Barret is our king! He has stood up for the citizens of Midgar and his story shall be told far and wide!" one man proclaimed as other revelers gathered around to listen rapturously. "He is a sentient being from above, sent down to slay the wicked and free the people! We must rejoice in his power and stand to fight alongside him!"

"…this is just sad," Tifa muttered, standing at the back of the crowd as they cheered Barret's name. "The only thing he'd lead them to is a massacre. And get himself killed with it."

"Sounds like that about sums it up," Cid said, cracking his neck and knuckles. "Well, let's go get him. Dumb fella like that ain't gonna come quietly."

With little care, they pushed their way to the front where Barret sat in a cheap camping chair, grinning like an idiot. Zack and Cid grabbed each of his arms, ripping him from his seat and dragging him back through the throng that reached out their hands to him as though if only they could just _touch _him, it would be the greatest honor.

Yuffie, Vincent and Cloud were already waiting by the entrance with the chocobo, who'd had no shortage of greens thanks to the other members of the festival. The others joined them in a hail of flying fists and spiteful words, and at one point, Barret dared to drag his feet on the ground.

"Lift them or I break them," Cid threatened.

"Lift them or I eat them," Vincent added.

It had the desired effect. Grumbling moodily about "can't get no respect," he finally mounted his chocobo (which nearly folded under the weight) and rode off. Zack saw Cloud bite the corner of his lip as though repressing a good joke but the rest happily followed after, thrilled to be moving again.

And here it was, night three with the promise to be in Rocket Town by morning. Whether this would really help with them finding Sephiroth, he wasn't sure but he couldn't resist feeling optimistic. Not for finding the monster he'd last seen but for maybe, just maybe, getting back the man and idol he once knew.

His chocobo chose that moment to let loose a ferocious fart, cooing happily.

Having no choice but to curl up next to the animal for warmth, he quickly pushed his shirt over his nose and attempted to fall asleep.

~.~.~

Rocket Town happened to be very aptly named. Not because it was a modern metropolis on the cutting edge of technology. Not because it boasted an advanced economic market. And certainly not due to anything gloriously historic happening there.

Save for the five-story rocket at the end of the town, still attached to the launch pad and tilted at an angle that beat out the Tower of Pisa.

No, Rocket Town was just that. A town. With a rocket.

Zack felt his last shred of hope die in the wind.

"Good to be home!" Cid approved, smiling as he strutted down the deserted street.

"It kinda makes me think of Nibelheim," Cloud murmured, looking around in awe. "Do you guys have a mako reactor?"

"Ain't no mako around here," Cid told him, stopping just outside of a cottage that looked exactly like every other cottage in the town. "Just got the rocket," he said, gesturing to the form in the distance. "This town wasn't even called Rocket Town before that but with all the buzz of Shinra actually using this place for something important, people figured it was time to give the name a makeover. With as much press as we got, this little dump was about to become the next Midgar, tourists coming from all over to see the big launch. Now…" He grunted and turned away from the relic. " They come here to take pictures and _laugh _at us. Like it's a fuckin' display at the museum. And they all want a comment from the late, not-so-great Cid. Well, they ain't gettin' one! Shinra doesn't want to know what's on my mind. Besides…they'd just censor the article anyways."

The others looked nervously amongst themselves as they waited for him to finish his trip down memory lane. After what seemed an appropriate amount of time had passed, Yuffie asked, "So, are we going in or…?"

"Yeah, yeah, we're going. Doubt Shera's cooked anything, the lazy wench…" And with that, they entered the house.

It was warm and cozy inside with something smelling faintly of cinnamon. From the entrance, they could see into a tiny living room area and another door that likely led to the kitchen. As it was Cid's house, they let him continue leading the way in which he quickly strode to the other door and threw it open.

"SHERA!" He demanded, scanning the kitchen, until his eyes landed on a small woman with hair pulled back and a pair of glasses slipping down her nose. She wore an apron over her clothes and between two pot holders was a large pie.

"Thought you might be home today," she smiled.

Cid didn't return it. "Why the hell didn't you answer me?"

She shrugged, putting the pie down on the windowsill, making Cloud sigh longingly. "Didn't hear you."

"Yeah, you seem to do that a lot," he snarled, pulling out a chair. "Ya'll have a seat. This here's Shera. She ain't much but she'll do."

The others sat cautiously while Tifa remained standing, her nostrils flaring as she stared hard at Cid. It was Vincent that murmured in her ear, "Let it go", and gently pushed her down into a chair, while he himself remained on high alert.

"Did I tell you guys that it's because of _her_," he said, pointing the fork Shera had just sat down in front of him, "that I never went to space?"

"Yes, you told us in Midgar," Tifa said shortly. "I don't think someone that tried to save your life deserves to be treated like dirt, but hey, maybe that's just me."

Vincent sighed and shook his head. Whoa boy, so much for his help…

But Cid remained calm, or as calm as he was known for. "You say that, missy, but you wouldn't know until all your dreams go up in smoke right in front of your eyes when they're right in front of you. To have someone literally just take 'em from you."

"You mean like how Sephiroth killed my father right in front of me? Losing a family member is of course less important than losing your job, how could I be so stupid?" She folded her arms and sat back, never taking her eyes off Cid.

"That ain't what I'm tryin' to say, don't go putting words in my mouth!"

"Then stop your bitter bitching and go after the real person you're mad at instead of using your assistant as a punching bag!"

"…can we just…have a peaceful meal?" Cloud mumbled. Nobody heard him.

Cid slammed a fist on the table, causing the dishes to jump half a foot in the air. "What the hell do you think we came back here for, to have a little lookie-loo around the town? We're huntin' down that bastard Sephiroth so I can drive a stake through his skull!"

Yuffie grimaced. "Trying to eat here."

"Exactly!" Tifa screamed, standing up and knocking her chair down in the process. Cid rose to match her face to face. "You said when the launch was cancelled, Sephiroth rose to publicity! You're the one that said that the two were linked and that's likely why the launch was never rescheduled. Shera only _delayed _the launch and saved your life but who's ultimately to blame that you never got your moment of glory?"

Cic got as far as "Seph—!" before Barret yelled over him, "Nobody! Ain't nobody to blame. Now shut your mouth and eat your damn pie!"

The other two sat down but continued to glare at each other. Halfway through the meal, Cid grunted, "We're takin' the Bronco."

The others looked curiously at him but Shera froze. "Not…_all _of you, I hope?"

"We'll fit," was the only explanation he offered.

After several helpings of Shera's world-famous apple pie (or so she'd like to think), Cid led them out the back door of the house to what appeared to be a large shed. Once he unlocked the doors and shoved them open however, they saw an airplane inside.

A _tiny _plane.

"The one Sephiroth messed with won't be right for a while yet and we don't have time to keep sitting on our asses," Cid said, walking around the craft to inspect it. "The Bronco hasn't been used in years but I keep her limber and ready to go at a moment's notice."

Yuffie coughed but said nothing.

"Are you certain we'll fit in here?" Zack decided to ask, coming forward. The plane sat low and he was able to see that at most, it could only seat three. "We're supposed to be a band of warriors, not a circus troupe."

Cid shrugged and said, "We form teams again. With one remaining, that'll have us with three people. As I'm the only one that knows how to fly this thing, I'm the party leader. And I choose…Vincent and blondie."

"M-me?" Cloud asked, looking astonished. "But I thought I had to be a party leader! I'm the main character!"

"And I have to be a captain too!" Zack quickly spoke up. "Because…I'm, um. Important?"

"You're reversible, Zack," Cloud told him.

Yuffie coughed again but said nothing.

"With a gameshark, you're allowed to change leaders," Cid told them, oblivious to the law of the fourth wall. "Now, I'm leader, Cloud's my righthand man and it never hurts to have a cannibal on your team."

Vincent muttered, "It's not like I do it for my health," before sulkily walking toward him and being absorbed along with Cloud.

Zack faced the others and pointed at Barret and Tifa. "Guess it's us then."

At this, Yuffie vehemently had more to say than she had about the innuendo. "Why am I never in anyone's party?"

"Because nobody likes you!" Zack said plainly and got in behind Cid in the Bronco.

"That's not true! I have a whole fanclub!" She shouted, fuming as she crawled aboard. Cid started the engine and slowly cruised the plane out.

From in front, she could hear Zack scoff. "Aren't you being ambitious!"

"I do! Just because it's smaller than the 'OMG, Zack is so hawt' fanclub doesn't mean I don't have one!"

Zack was about to reply when the plane attempted its first takeoff but bumped hard back on the ground. "Damnit, we might be too heavy," Cid called back. "We might look like three people but it feels the weight of seven."

"How is that even possible?" Yuffie asked.

"This is an alternate universe, anything is possible," Zack shrugged. "Right now, there's probably some fangirl writing about me and Cloud screwing each other but we all know _that _would never happen."

Out of Cid's mouth came Cloud's voice yelling "Did NOT need to hear that!"

Cid himself said, "Hang on to yer britches, this is gonna be a rough ride." Turning the Bronco back towards the shed, he looped around and this time barreled down the make-shift runway, a long dirt road that outlined the perimeter of the forest behind the house. Pulling steeply back on the controls, the plan bumped once, hovered, and finally began to gain altitude.

With cheers of success, they set out for the one town where they might find a hint of Sephiroth's whereabouts: Nibelheim.

~.~.~

"We've been waiting for six hours, who the hell else is supposed to come?" Former Director Lazard asked, sitting on one of the still ridiculously decorated picnic tables in the park. "And would it be quicker to just go and get them?"

"I agree, my hair can't take this heat," Genesis whined, having returned from his waxing. As though to display the job that'd been done on his chest, he'd peeled off his shirt, fanning himself with a copy of Loveless as he lay on another table.

Loz and Yazoo had taken up playing Hangman (in which Loz lost every round, no matter how small the word) and they too turned to Kadaj. "Brother, are you sure Mother will come?"

Standing alone from the group, Kadaj looked off in the distance as though seeing something the others couldn't. "She'll be here, Loz, don't worry," he said softly with a benevolent smile. "Mother would _never _forget her children." He paused, tilting his head to the side. "In fact, here come our guests of honor."

Raising a hand, he concentrated on forming a sphere of energy, his arm glowing brightly at several points to show the multiple orbs of materia that he'd absorbed. He held the attack back for just a second, before releasing—just as a small red airplane broke through the clouds.

Even from their distance, the two collided with a resounding explosion, a ball of flame engulfing the aircraft until it began a steep dive and rocketed towards the ground like a shooting star. Making no attempt to slow down, it slammed into the earth and sent up a hail of rocks, creating a trench as it slid towards them. A propeller snapped off and was flung only mere inches from Kadaj's face but he never flinched. Only when the wreckage was right in front of him did he lift a foot and place it on the nose, the plane giving a last shudder before coming to a halt.

The occupants spilled out onto the ground, and when Zack fell, he sensed himself grow lighter and knew that his party had been dissolved. Cid had relinquished his teammates as well with all seven of them looking precisely like the survivors of a plane crash. His head ached badly making him figure he probably had a concussion at the least which was most unfortunate as everything in his body was screaming for him to stay still and close his eyes, at least until the world stopped spinning.

A booted foot came into view attached to a leg of leather. _Sephiroth? _The memory of the last time they'd seen each other almost literally slammed into him, causing his head to hurt. He tried to get up and run away or draw the Buster sword but all he managed was a feeble twitching of his fingers.

Instead though, the person crouched down in front of him, showing a face that caused him to completely stop moving. Short silver hair. Those distinctive green eyes. Is this what Sephiroth had been reborn as? If so, he'd gotten the jackpot of reincarnation.

"So nice of you to join us," the silky voice said, making Zack unwittingly flinch. The green eyes roamed from him to someone lying next to him. On the bare edge of his peripheral, he could see it was Cloud.

"Now that you're here at last, we can complete the reunion. We'll all be one big happy family! Won't we, _brothers_?"

Zack would've loved to ponder that statement some more but the trauma won out and he slipped easily into darkness.


	20. What's My Age Again?

Another long hiatus and we're now in year two of _In Zack We Trust!_ However, I come bearing bountiful fruit! Two chapters at once! Rather, one very long chapter broken into two. Either way, take this as a peace offering for the pause :)

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><p><strong>What's My Age Again?<strong>

When Zack awoke, he realized he was looking down on his captors instead of up, as previously. He had already figured he was going to be tied up but to be tied to a stake ten feet off the ground was a new one to say the least. From his viewpoint though, he could see that Tifa, Cid, Yuffie, and Barret were still unconscious and had been bound with their hands behind their backs and still sitting on the ground. To his left, he could just make out Cloud tied to a similar post like his.

Zack sighed and began to flex his muscles. Ropes held little difference from thread when you're genetically enhanced but hey, an A for effort.

Of course, that's assuming you were tied with ropes; the silver-haired trio had gone a step further and chained him.

_This might be a bit of a problem…_

"Kadaj, he's awake!" Loz said, pointing a finger at Zack, who hadn't taken care to pretend he was still unconscious. But he'd figured he'd be free within the minute, rip a few ropes, kick some baddies and spring his friends. Now he couldn't even save himself.

"I've always wanted one of these," Yazoo muttered appreciatively, walking a circle around the Buster Sword, which was sticking up from the ground. "Brother, do you think when we're done with them, I could kill them with this? Mother has no need for spares."

"Aren't we your family too?" Cloud said. To his credit, his voice didn't waver but was challenging. "I don't know any mother that'd approve of her children killing each other."

Yazoo lazily rolled his head on his shoulder to stare at him, unable to hide the look of amusement in his eyes. "You're more like an unwanted step-brother. Technically part of the family but somehow…the emotion just doesn't reach _here,_" he patted the leather over his heart.

Cloud was ready to retort when Loz stood up and threw himself forward, hugging the bottom of his wooden stake. "Don't kill big brother! Loz will be sad!"

"Do I know you?" Cloud asked, recoiling at the touch.

"We're all one, big happy family here," a new voice said. Zack struggled to look around for it and noticed a man hop off of a picnic table decorated with sagging balloons. Zack hadn't heard that voice in nearly five years…it couldn't be…

But in coming close enough to stand right under him, Zack had to gasp. "Lazard? You're still alive?"

The Director twisted his mouth. "And hello to you too. Your ex-SOLDIER buddy is alive too."

"Angeal?" Zack said hopefully.

"No…even a Phoenix Down couldn't bring him back. Not certain _why _but…nevermind that. Genesis and I have been roaming together for the better part of a year, trying to find cures."

Zack hadn't missed that Lazard looked worse for wear, his once pristine blonde hair now dull and matted and his skin the pale color of the living dead. However, he still looked better than Genesis, who had meandered closer. Genesis had sometime in the past dyed his hair red again but his roots had long-since begun to gray, giving the impression of a molding tomato. His skin too looked waxen and he'd even dared to use creams for the bags under his eyes…which was failing miserably, his face more creased than ever. Even after being kidnapped by Hojo, Zack did not envy them.

In an attempt to hide how openly he was staring, he asked, "What are you trying to cure?"

Genesis sighed and held up a worn, gloved hand, ticking off his list of woes. "Let's see…I'm still degrading because of my botched DNA, this asshat had the brilliant idea to steal some of Angeal's cells and now he's degrading too, our lovely hosts over there hit us with a virus called Geostigma, and on top of all that, I'm not entirely certain this is a cold sore on my lip."

Lazard cast him a long look before clearing his throat. "Seems that the cure for…most of those things can be found within Jenova's cells. Angeal and Genesis were partially created from Jenova. But…I'm not understanding how that includes you two." He nodded at Zack and Cloud.

Before either of them could answer, Kadaj's giggle—yes, giggle—interrupted them. "You poor things. Don't you _feel _it running through your blood? Mother lives in all of us! That quack scientist Hojo injected you two," he gestured to his primary hostages, "with Jenova cells too. Seems like everyone enjoys passing her around like a cheap whore."

"You said it first," Zack smiled.

He regretted it a second later when a flash produced a searing burn across his cheek, knocking his head back against the post hard enough to almost make him black out again. As he blinked to clear his vision, he could see Kadaj holding up a hand that glowed from the wrist to the elbow with materia. He'd seen other SOLDIERs who'd absorbed far less orbs and had lost it, descending into a frothing 'roid rage. This guy already seemed to be showing signs of psychosis; he didn't want to see the end result if he lost complete control.

Kadaj turned back to the others, holding his arms open. "Now that we're all assembled, it's time that we commence. I've waited long enough."

"_You_?" Genesis huffed but stepped closer. Lazard followed, both looking unsure of what they were expected to do. Kadaj frowned and pulled them closer to where Zack and Cloud were tied. Loz and Yazoo joined him, the five making a circle that surrounded the two posts.

Holding out one arm, Kadaj produced a knife and held it to his wrist. "A gift of blood from your children, Mother, to return that which was given to us." He cut into his wrist, and the flinch from everyone else wasn't missed. After he was done, he passed the knife to Yazoo, who passed it to Loz, who passed it to Genesis, who passed it to Lazard who passed it back to Genesis again, taking a step back to avoid the rotation.

Rolling his eyes, Genesis pulled up his sleeve and also made a cut. "I'm loving how this ritual requires us to slice open our already degrading bodies. It's not like I can't repair myself! I have a gash in my arm from seven years ago that hasn't healed, why should this be any different?"

Emboldened by the fact that he was one step closer to having a healthy body back, Lazard went next, trying (and failing) to hide a whimper as the knife met skin. He didn't see how anyone could ever make this a hobby. Yazoo and Loz finished up and the blade was handed back to Kadaj, who unceremoniously repeated the action to Zack and Cloud. As the drops fell to the earth, the ground began to pulse with a visible current of energy.

This wasn't looking good. Zack noticed that Cloud had begun to struggle frantically, pulling so hard at the chains that he threatened to break his wrists. Still in his peripheral line of sight, he could make out the tied bundle of the others, who hadn't moved yet. He figured they weren't unconscious from the crash at this point but from a magic-induced sleep. It'd effectively keep them from meddling…and left Cloud and Zack to become martyrs.

Almost serenely, Kadaj tilted his head back to the sky. Even with the current growing stronger, beginning to break apart the ground, he gazed peacefully up, as though expecting something to drop from above. "Now we must call for her," he murmured softly, not even blinking as a picnic table was whipped past him. "She must _know _how much we need her for her to come. Her cells are in all of us. They shall speak to her and bring her home."

On the contrary, Zack began to concentrate on all things _not _Jenova. Puppies! Ice cream! Would there ever be another Final Fantasy VII game? And just what _is _the meaning of life? He saw that Cloud had his face scrunched up and hoped that he too was doing as he was—until Cloud gave a scream of agony, his body jerking from a harsh spasm before slumping forward, twitching occasionally.

In his effort to remove himself from the ritual, Zack hadn't noticed that the pulsing current that surrounded them had begun to beat the same incessant rhythm inside him as well. Like a scrape that didn't hurt until you looked at it, he could feel the beating grow stronger now that he'd consciously pointed it out. He was relieved that his heart wasn't the epicenter of the pulses (leaving him with visions of going into cardiac arrest) , but that wasn't much of a comfort. Something was tugging in him, as though his muscles wanted to be free, though he knew it went deeper than that. His very cellular structure was beginning to react. The Jenova cells…Kadaj had said that they must give back what was given to them. The cells were a part of his very DNA now; they couldn't just be given back. If spliced, he would die.

He'd already come close to death, missing it by a silly technicality. If this was how it was going to end instead, at least it'd be quick. Looking down, he saw that the others were now standing with their arms out, palms inches from each other. A translucent, shimmering river of energy could be seen between the spaces, growing increasingly faster until at last, it could no longer be contained. With a final violent pulse, a pillar of white light burst from the center of the ring and Zack was blinded.

Simultaneously, his body began to thrum with a high-pitch keening that was so loud, he knew he couldn't have been the only one to hear it. He focused on that noise, on his staccato heartbeat that was thankfully still going, bracing himself in wait for any kind of sign.

~.~.~

Sephiroth happily picked through the trash can behind what appeared to be the home of the Stevenson's, as the mailbox had told him. Currently, the Stevenson's were gone to a movie, leaving himself free to look through the inventory in the garbage can undisturbed.

Digging his arm down, he randomly grabbed a handful of mush and pulled back. Only a wad of overcooked noodles. He dug down again and this time found a box of crackers with four still in the pack! Devouring those, he plundered down further until he felt that finally, he'd hit jackpot.

Surfacing, he revealed the remains of a fried chocobo leg. If he just wiped it on his shirt a little—ah, good as new! He'd even managed to find a few rotting carrot sticks. That made one-third of a complete meal right there! With a large, content smile, he crouched down and began to enjoy his dinner.

It was sometime between the final moments before dusk settled that he looked up to find a pillar of light stretching from ground to sky. A steady rumble seemed to come from the location of the light, like distant thunder or the aftershocks of an earthquake. Now that he had a discernible direction of the source, something told him that perhaps, just maybe, he should go check it out. Yes, that's right…he really ought to go have a look.

Licking grease off his fingers, he tilted back his head and let his instincts do the work, feeling himself grow weightless.

_Scotty, beam me up! _

And in a wink, he was gone.

~.~.~

Zack was sure the light was going to sear his eyes even with them closed. When the light ended, the image would be superimposed onto his pupils forever, blinding him regardless. Then again, would it really matter if the Jenova cells were successful? At the very least, he'd be a walking husk. A blind, walking husk.

Maybe death would be better.

He'd begun to resolve himself to this being his final moments when the light faded as quickly as it'd begun, the violent wind stopping as though nature had hit Pause. His ears strained in the silence, waiting as small sounds slowly began seeping in. He could hear the five below breathing heavily. Cloud seemed to still be alive judging by how the chains rattled when he shivered. Or maybe that was actually himself.

Steeling his nerves, he attempted to open his eyes. He took it as a good sign that with the fading of the white, he could now only see darkness on the other side of his lids. He could only hope he hadn't been exposed to the light for too long; it'd only been a few minutes…which had seemed like hours at the time. He'd be fine. He _was _fine, he convinced himself. This time, he'd break free, spring his friends and—

Tifa's unmistakable voice cut through his thoughts with a single word: "Sephiroth!"

His eyes snapped open.

If Jenova herself couldn't join them, the person carrying the most of her cells had been summoned instead. He looked exactly as Zack remembered him from more than five years ago and yet…something was off. In fact, now that his vision was focusing, there were several things that were very off.

Sephiroth stood there gnawing on a chocobo leg. His hair, which had been his pride, had been brutally hacked off at the shoulders, completely uneven and so dirty, it was almost brown. Masamune still remained on his side, though the tip had been broken off some time ago. Looking at this wasted form, it was almost…sad.

Who the hell was he kidding?

Zack suddenly burst out laughing. He was aware that everyone was now staring at him, except Sephiroth, who continued to chew on his bone like a dog, a small trail of drool on the corner of his mouth. "This is the best you could do? Some Mother!"

Yazoo and Kadaj looked at each other and shrugged. "I do admit, I did think she'd be more…svelte," Kadaj said, miming the shape of an hourglass.

Loz threw himself forward screaming "Mommy!" and latched on to Sephiroth, rubbing his cheek against him. If Sephiroth knew he was there, he showed no sign of it.

With Kadaj distracted, the rest woke up from the induced sleep. Yuffie produced a star-shaped blade and cut the ropes,—how come they got to be tied with ropes?—freeing the others before helping Zack down. Together, they worked on unchaining Cloud who collapsed against them, unmoving except for his shallow breathing. Zack figured the ritual would've been harder on him. Cloud had barely made it during their time in the mako tanks; his DNA being ripped and pulled couldn't have felt any better.

"Well, ain't this somethin'," Cid grinned, shaking his head. "Just the man we were looking for. Except now that he's nuttier than squirrel shit, I kinda feel bad about having to kill him."

"I don't!" Barret announced and wasted no time in leveling Sephiroth into the sight of his cannon.

Tifa knocked it away before it could go off. "Let's be honest, killing him won't solve anything. We haven't sunk _that _low, have we?"

The others looked at each other before giving a general nod.

She face-palmed. "Just look at him! He's drooling on himself! Look me in the eye and tell me you still want to murder him."

Cid slowly started raising his hand before Yuffie pulled it back down for him.

"Damnit, my baby's right," Barret swore, kicking the dirt at his feet. "We can't kill the bastard. Looks like a wasted trip."

"Perhaps, though I do thank you for your efforts. "

How any of them could've missed the sound of the descending helicopter would confound them for days to come but for the moment, there the Shinra helicopter hovered only thirty feet from the ground. Out of the open door spilled a swinging ladder and attached to it was a man in a black suit with long black hair. As if this day couldn't have gotten any stranger, here was another blast from the past.

"Hello, Zack," Tseng greeted. He looked like he was about to say more but suddenly yelled up, "Geez, steady the chopper, Reno! You're ruining my entrance."

Over the loudspeaker , Reno replied, "Sorry boss. That's actually Elena's fault. I put her in the pilot seat."

"…_why?!_"

It sounded as though two people were fighting over the speaker before Elena said "Sir, I've been a Turk for over four years, sir! I think it's time I proved myself, sir!"

"Not with me suspended in thin air, you're not! Switch places with Reno!"

There was a long silence before Elena spoke. "Um, that might be a problem, sir…the real reason Reno switched with me is because he's downed two expressos and a Redbull. We're currently waiting for the effects to wear off."

Reno came back on, his voice fast and excited. "It's okay, boss!"—twitch—"Elena's had perfect scores in the simulated flying! How hard can the real thing be?"

There was a moment where Tseng completely stopped moving before shaking his head furiously. Deciding to take matters into his own hands, he jumped the rest of the distance, stumbling but playing it off smoothly by straightening up his tie. "It's been a long time, Zack. Last time I saw you…" he trailed off, thinking.

"Modeoheim," Zack filled in, keeping a wary eye on him. After all these years, he still didn't completely trust the Turks.

"Right, Modeoheim." Tseng's eyes slowly scanned over the others but he jerked back when he saw Cloud. "Well I'll be, the infantry boy is all grown up. To be honest, I'm surprised he's even still alive. I mean, no offense, but…he wasn't quite _military _material."

Something overcame Zack and he found himself saying "Twice as much as you'll ever be." He proudly hitched Cloud a little higher, staring the Turk in the eye and daring him to say anything.

Instead, Tseng sniffed and turned to face the others still standing in a loose circle around Sephiroth. "Isn't this quite the reunion—"

"I made mac and cheese!" Loz blurted out.

"…delightful. So what is this, Sephiroth's homecoming?"

"They were trying to resurrect Jenova," Lazard spoke, watching warily as Sephiroth swayed with his eyes closed, humming to himself. "Judging by the results…I'd say they failed."

Yazoo grinned, "Mother had a sex change." Kadaj elbowed him in the ribs.

"Do not disgrace Mother like that!" he hissed. "She might look different but that's her! We await your guidance, Mother! Show them your might and rid this planet of its pathetic inhabitants!"

"Baaaaaaaa~!" Sephiroth bayed.

"Yeah, I think we're done here," Tseng sighed, shoving through the circle. "Sephiroth's coming with us. Shinra wants him back and I get a fatass paycheck if I'm the one who returns him."

He got so far as to get one hand on Sephiroth's arm before Loz promptly bit him on the hand and refused to let go. Tseng screamed and tried to cuff him on the head with his other hand, which caused the other man to literally growl. Instead, Tseng tried for another tactic and pulled out his gun, aiming it directly in Loz's face.

Instead of a gunshot though, a bright flash fell from the sky before igniting on the ground, causing the grass to go up in flames.

Zack was able to make out the form of the tell-tale wings as Vincent doubled back, releasing another hail of fire. It seemed that everyone was divided between what to do. Tifa, Barret, Cid and Yuffie wisely broke into a run, passing the charred remains of the Bronco. Loz had finally let go of Tseng's hand but in turn had incapacitated the Turk with a metal device held on his forearm that seemed to work much like a taser. Zack knew he couldn't just stand there; if this was another one of Vincent's chaotic transformations, he was as much of a target as anyone else. At the same time though…

_Damn my SOLDIER honor. _Hitching Cloud completely over his shoulder, he broke into a run, weaving between the smoke to get to Tseng. Loz had turned to rejoin Kadaj and Yazoo, who were now fighting Lazard and Genesis. They needed Sephiroth's cells if they were going to live, but the brothers weren't going to let them kill their idol…even if it wasn't technically Jenova. Zack reached the limp body , bending to sling him over his back as well, and continuing his run out of the park just as another blast tore the _Jenova Family Reunion_ banner that hung at the entrance.

"Another one of your army buddies?" Cid asked, looking Tseng over as Zack set him down. He shook his head as he watched him for a moment to ensure that his chest still rose and fell. Above, the sound of the helicopter grew louder as it began to descend. Of course they'd take him back to Shinra. Zack hoped that whenever Tseng woke up, he'd remember that Zack just saved his life and would keep the fact that he'd seen him and Cloud to himself. They might've been rivals, but he'd like to think that it didn't extend as far as to selling out each other's lives.

As the helicopter gently landed, two Turks rushed out and he recognized the short blonde as Elena and the vibrant redhead as Reno. Together, they struggled to carry away their leader on a stretcher and strap him in. As they worked though, another person emerged, not dressed in a suit but a dress.

Wearing a pink ribbon in her hair…


	21. Heart of the Matter

**Heart of the Matter**

It was almost as though time hadn't touched her. That aura of gentility that'd captured him all those years ago still flowed through her as she made her way towards him. For a moment, he could ignore that the landscape looked like they'd been thrown in the depths of Hell just to focus on this dream come true. How many times had he wondered over the past four years if they'd ever see each other again? With him still being a wanted man, the most he'd hoped for was to only see her from afar. To have her this close was more than he'd ever dreamed of.

She stopped before him, reaching out a hand to touch his face. "You need to shave," she smiled.

His resolve crumbled and he pulled her tight into his arms. "You're alive," was all he was able to manage, trying hard to keep it together considering that they had an audience.

"The Turks have sort of been guarding me," Aerith told him, pulling back to look him in the face. The fire helped to illuminate the green of her eyes, like a river of mako. "I'm not sure why, though. Everyone's been really hush-hush about it, tip-toeing around me like I might crack. I'd like some straight answers for once but that might be too much to ask from them."

Behind her, Zack could see Elena drawing herself up to retort but Reno slapped a hand over her mouth and shook his head.

Just then, another explosion shook the ground and a picnic table was launched twenty feet in the air. "Ooohh! Ahhhh!" the group watched, cheering as the structure fell back to the ground and splintered. At the same time, swooping to rejoin them was Vincent, running a few steps to catch his balance before folding his wings back in.

The others took a step back as he advanced.

He held up his hands. "I come in peace. Figured you'd need my help."

"You know, it wasn't until you even showed up that I realized you were missing," Yuffie admitted. Vincent almost didn't believe her as this was coming from the girl that'd all but jumped his bones the first day they met, but the others were nodding as well.

"I think you're becoming expendable," Tifa whispered to him.

Vincent actually took a dramatic step backwards. "N-no! Never! I'm needed!"

From nowhere, Barret slipped on a pair of glasses, pulling a sheet of paper from his pocket. "According to a recent survey, your popularity rate has dropped five percent."

"Right, and what's yours?" Vincent countered.

"Um, ahem, we're…not talking about me," Barret said hastily, tossing the glasses and crumbling the paper.

"Whoa boy, we have company," Cid interrupted.

Coming towards them from the flames was Sephiroth. The irony of the image and its likeness of that fateful night in Nibelheim weren't lost on Zack. Except this time, Sephiroth didn't hold his sword aloft; instead, it dragged on the ground, and in his right hand at that. If Zack remembered correctly, Sephiroth was a lefty.

He advanced calmly enough but when he got within ten feet, an effort was put forth to keep him from coming closer. The safeties of both Vincent and Barret's guns clicked off; Cid twirled his lance into a ready position and Yuffie dislodged a six-pointed star from her back. Tifa tightened her leather gloves, cracking her knuckles.

But Zack was most proud when Aerith revealed a retractable three-piece rod, a look of determination replacing her serenity. He could've kissed her. He himself finished off their defense with the Buster Sword. He'd had hopes of only talking with the ex-general but if he had recovered his memories, Zack was also ready to finish what they'd started four years ago.

Instead though, Sephiroth never raised Masamune. Even if he had other attacks in his arsenal, Sephiroth continued his slow plodding towards them. Without blinking, he stepped past them and kept moving until he jerked to a stop directly in front of Aerith. A small smile spread on his lips as he closed his eyes again and began to hum in a low pitch, much like a cat purring.

Dumbfounded, the rest lowered their weapons. "I think I missed something," Vincent said, scratching a gold claw under his headband. "What's wrong with him?"

"If I had to take a guess, it looks like the fall into the mako eroded his braincells," Tifa ventured. "It's almost like he's regressed to being a child."

"No, that's not right," Aerith said softly, now cupping Sephiroth's face. Zack only barely managed to not punch the man. "It does seem that his thought process has become more juvenile but it's as though he's drawn to certain things on instinct. He and I have never met and yet it's like he knows me." Continuing to hold his face, she experimentally called out "Sephiroth!"

Sephiroth stopped humming and opened his eyes. "Good evening, Aerith Gainsborough of the Ancients."

Without completely meaning to, Aerith screamed and violently shoved him away, running for cover near Zack. Sephiroth began to scream too, crouching and holding his hands over his ears as though trying to block out his own voice and ward off a possible attack at the same time. His keening continued until he realized that no one had made a move towards him, in which he finally grew quiet and turned to face Aerith again, this time saying nothing.

"…da fuck just happened?" Barret eloquently voiced.

"I say the guy's a nutcase and you should give him here," Reno called out from the helicopter. In the pilot's seat, Elena started up the propellers. "Shinra will take him off your hands. And you need to come back with us too, Aerith."

Aerith shook her head. "He knew my name. And he called me something…an Ancient. What _is _an Ancient?"

Reno took too long to fix his features and in that second, Aerith connected two and two together. "It's why you've been detaining me! Whatever these Ancients are, it's what you want. Sephiroth is probably one too which is why you want him back as well. Well, on behalf of Ancients everywhere, I refuse to let anyone dictate my life any longer! Long live the Ancients!"

Reno was about to say something but Elena said something to him first. Turning back, Reno shrugged. "Whatever. We'll find you eventually. It's what we're good at. Till then, ciao!" He slammed the door of the helicopter close and the craft took off into the night.

Left in the quiet, the rest turned to each other, shrugging. "Now what?" Tifa asked.

"Oh, my everything hurts…" came a mumble at the ground, in which Cloud blinked awake. Zack rushed to help him to his feet, letting him lean against him as that simple action nearly exhausted him. "What happened? Where are we? Who's the new chick? And what's Sephiroth doing here? Wait, _Sephiroth?_"

Sephiroth showed no signs of having even heard him, staring instead behind him back into the flames. Cloud turned to look with him and yelled when two stumbling forms started coming towards them, their clothes ripped and one of them limping while dragging a foot.

"Walkers!" he yelled, looking for anything he could use as a weapon. "Aim for the head, it's their only weakness!"

"Right, the Final Fantasy VII Edition," Aerith said with a grin.

"Wonder if we could pitch that to Square Enix…" Yuffie mused.

But instead of rotting corpses, the two figures revealed themselves to be Lazard and Genesis. Both wore a self-satisfied smile. "That's one problem solved," Genesis said once he drew close enough.

"Two problems," Lazard corrected, staring intently at Sephiroth. "Now there's only one more thing to do."

Zack was torn between wanting to stop them and morbid curiosity. These two looked like a good breeze would knock them over and yet, they still moved with vitality, eagerly approaching the general. Just as they drew level though, a river of soft blue orbs streamed from two points within the flames behind them and flew overhead. They landed softly within Sephiroth, who giggled and began his loudest humming yet.

"Poor little remnants," Genesis tsked as the last of the orbs entered the ex-SOLDIER's body. "The idiots didn't think far enough head to realize that to summon the next closest being to Jenova required all of her cells. That meant themselves as well. Good thing for that though…they would've kicked our asses otherwise."

He reached out and yanked a handful of the dirty, unkempt hair, opening his mouth.

"Eeehh, I wouldn't do that…" Zack tried to warn him, his face turning green.

But Genesis proceeded to eat the hair, even going so far as to lick his fingers. "Ahh, I feel more alive already!"

"Great, now that the guinea pig has tried it and hasn't died, I'll go next," Lazard declared, roughly ripping the hair off Sephiroth and eating it. Zack took it as a good sign that at least Sephiroth flinched.

However, midway through their meal, Genesis began to cough, doubling over and grabbing his chest. He stayed that way for several minutes, until his cough became a hack. Then he hacked again, his shoulders twitching with spasms. Lazard frowned, making no attempt to help. "If you mean to tell me that the hair is actually making things worse, I'm going to kill you myself. You're supposed to be my taste-tester."

"It's _hair_, what do you think it tastes like?" Cloud asked, shuddering as Genesis' coughs grew stronger.

"Salvation!" Lazard said triumphantly, brandishing the wilting locks. "This is our final hope. They're not mass-marketing this stuff, you know."

"Sephiroth's hair?" Cid asked dryly.

"One man's hair is another man's cure," Lazard said haughtily, but his expression quickly changed when Genesis gave another particularly violent hack.

"_Please _don't do it," Vincent murmured, shaking his head.

Too late. Genesis coughed up a hairball.

Much gagging and an indefinite amount of time later, they were able to bring themselves back to a semblance of control.

"This fool done ruined my dinner before I even had it," Barret muttered weakly, unable to look in Genesis' direction.

As for Genesis, he was looking forlornly at his hairball. "Damnit, my body's rejecting it…"

"No shit, Sherlock, it's hair!" Zack yelled, pointing at the slimy mess in the grass. "It's not meant to be eaten!"

"I'm just fine," Lazard declared, doing a small twirl to show how he was unaffected. "In fact, never better. I actually feel the cells repairing my body."

Genesis paused for a moment, his eyes slowly widening. "You're right…I do feel better. It actually worked!"

Cloud raised a finger. "Um, question. So why aren't any of us dead? Don't all of us already have Jenova cells in us?"

"We do," Lazard clarified, wiping his glasses on his shirt and perching them on his nose. Already, the gray color of his hair was fading back to blonde. "You two don't anymore," he addressed Cloud and Zack. "That ritual was strong enough to pull the Jenova cells from all of us. None of us standing here were born with Jenova cells. Even Genesis was only injected with them after his birth. So, while more painful than having a tooth pulled without Novocaine, the cells were still able to part from our bodies without completely destroying us to return to the next embodiment of Jenova. Save for the mako, everything in you is now you. And since we've just ingested Sephiroth's hair…" Lazard said, looking appreciatively at the man, "We've now absorbed a more…wholesome version of what each of us had been injected with. With that, Jenova has countered the Geostigma."

"I could've sworn that the Geostigma was caused by people being infected with Jenova cells that had fallen into the Lifestream," Aerith contradicted him.

"I'm sorry, who's the one with Geostima again?" Lazard challenged.

She sighed. "I'm not trying to be a know-it-all, but maybe…you guys _have _made it worse. I know you two look better, but maybe it's just going into remission. I'd look into getting seen to."

Genesis laughed, ruffling his full, red hair again. "Right, we're supposed to be dead. The best doctors in the world are employed by Shinra."

"There's plenty of holistic and herbal healers out there," she suggested.

Genesis dropped his hand to stare at her as though she'd suggested walking on the moon without an oxygen tank. "I'm not eating a fucking leaf to see if it makes me feel better. I ate some of the cells from this broad—" he gestured to Sephiroth—"and now I'm healthy again. As far as I'm concerned, case closed. So, if you'll excuse me, I'm heading to Costa del Sol to get my tan back."

He unfurled his black wing and tried to flap and for several seconds, nothing happened. Instead, he over-exerted himself and fell into another coughing fit. He struggled even harder and finally, he rose a few inches off the ground, the wheezing cough following him as he sagged through the air, looking more like a miserable flu victim who grew wings.

"Riiight," Lazard said, watching him as he left. "I guess…I'll keep in touch." He spread his own wing, white from the Angel cells that still lingered within him. To his credit, he actually made it into the air and slowly flew away over the horizon.

And then there were…nine.

"We no longer exactly spell 'subtlety'," Zack commented, looking around. "Maybe some of you should go back home?"

Barret shook his head, looking grim. "I've gotta see this through to the end. I miss my baby girl, but how would I look to my followers if I turned tail and ran when I'm this close?"

"Who said anything about overthrowing Shinra?" Cloud asked.

Vincent, Cid and Barret raised their hands. "Think of it as a side-quest," Vincent clarified. "Sure you don't _have _to do it, but you feel better once you have."

"It detracts from the overall mission," Cloud pointed out to him, not expecting resistance from Vincent of all people.

"_What _mission?" Cid came to Vincent's defense. "My mission was to kill that silver-haired sideshow freak but even I'm not so rotten as to kill someone that can't even defend themselves. So, I'll wait around for him to get his memories back, then run him through with my spear."

"And then?" Tifa prodded.

He shrugged. "Even with the Rocket Town fiasco, I've got a nice 401(K) saved up. Think I'll retire early on a tropical island where the women walk around shirtless."

The men nodded sagely at his wise plan.

Yuffie raised her hand to say, "I'm just here for the materia. I think I saw those Sephiroth knock-offs with some. So if you'll excuse me…" She tried to act cool but her excited walk betrayed the hopefulness of treasure as she made her way to the now smoldering remains of the park.

Zack looked at the others and realized that none of them would leave. Zack wanted to get answers out of Sephiroth, answers that he'd been unable to even ask four years ago what with his life immediately in danger. Tifa and Cloud both had an equal stake in this and Sephiroth would follow where ever Aerith went, it seemed.

And Vincent…

As though reading his mind, Vincent declared "Hojo will be wanting Sephiroth back. The Turks have essentially said as much. With him now being mentally unstable, Hojo would make it his duty to 'fix' him. Even if he becomes a complete genetic freak, like me. Which is what I'd like to discuss with Hojo. And…" He took a deep breath. "Possibly save Sephiroth from the same fate. Even he doesn't deserve to become what I am."

_So it's settled. _

Was it only a little over two weeks ago that he and Cloud escaped the lab? Six days ago that they'd partied in Cosmo Canyon? Last night that they'd left Rocket Town? It all seemed almost a lifetime ago already.

Yuffie came back a moment later, her knapsack glowing with the materia orbs. "_This time_, I declare that these are mine," she said pointedly, looking particularly at Zack. He held his hands up in innocence, grinning.

"I say we head east," Aerith suggested, perhaps inspired by the irony of the sun starting to rise over the distant mountains. However, it was as good of a direction as any as they'd already moved almost as far west as currently possible.

With a tearful goodbye from Cid to the Tiny Bronco, they set out yet again with higher hopes, feeling a little closer to finding a resolution.

* * *

><p>Forgive me again that this has been dragged out for so long. I'm aiming for this to be finished within about 25 chapters. If nothing else, this <em>will <em>be finished in 2013! Anywho, leave your yays or nays in the little box below.


	22. It's Always Sunny in Gongaga

**It's Always Sunny in Gongaga**

"So it's come to my attention that when we entered Rocket Town, we had chocobos," Yuffie pointed out, interrupting a heated discussion between Aerith and Zack over who would win a fight between Dragonball Z's Goku and the "Man of Steel" Superman…which has already been answered. "Did we leave them in Rocket Town, or…?"

"You're holding the mystery in your hands," Cid pointed.

She abruptly stopped chewing what was in her mouth. "You told me this was turkey jerky and that's why it looked weird!" she screamed, holding the meat away from her now as though it were poisoned.

He gave a smile that didn't hide his cruel humor. "What, you wouldn't have eaten it otherwise? I remember hearing your stomach growl just as loud as anyone else's. And since when the hell was it forbidden to eat chocobo?"

Vincent, who'd been flying above to cast a shadow on the others, said "I'm more curious about the timing. Who has time to kill and smoke seven chocobo in one day?"

He didn't miss Cid grumble "Just _not _gonna drop this, are you?" Louder he said, "Look, I know a guy who knows a guy who got the job done. We now have enough chocobo jerky to start our own Seven-Eleven. Now if you're not happy about the choice of meal…" he let his voice trail, looking around individually at everyone, "then you're welcome to find something else. However, please remember how nicely that worked out last time."

And with that, the issue was never raised again.

However…

"Something else ain't adding up," Barret pointed out this time.

"A lot of things don't add up for you," Tifa whispered.

Barret must've not heard her. "How did we jump from the east continent to the west? There's an entire ocean between them!"

"Chocobo can run on water," Cloud informed them. "I remember learning about it back in Nibelheim."

"Yeah, but don't you think we'd _remember _running on an ocean?" Barret pressed. "As far as I know of, we went to sleep on the east coast and woke up on the west. It doesn't make sense. And are you really going to look me in my eye and tell me that a two-hundred pound bird can run on water?"

"Jesus could," Aerith added.

Everyone groaned.

Zack had a feeling he knew where this was heading and decided to put an end to it before it reached that ominous conclusion. "Look, we were pretty baked out here in the sun during half the trip. Who's to say that we didn't maybe pass out while they ran on water? Because yes, they indeed can run on water and carry a human at the same time," he looked directly at Barret as he said this. "Maybe on some random planet called…oh, I don't know, Earth, this doesn't make sense but it does here. While we're on the west continent though, there's something else I'd like to do."

He wasn't sure how they were going to take this and they'd been delayed so many times already. But he needed some closure before he went any further. "I'd like to visit my parents in Gongaga."

"Right, you just pop up out of the blue when you're supposed to be dead," Cloud sneered and Zack got the impression that he subconsciously didn't forgive him for having parents when he didn't. Zack wanted to tell him that it wasn't his fault, but felt it'd probably make things worse.

From the sky, Vincent swooped a little lower to join in on the conversation. "Not only that, but what are they going to think when you appear on their doorstep with…him…" he gestured to Sephiroth, who was wholly enamored with spreading his fingers apart, like a baby discovering their own motor-control for the first time.

Zack was about to reply when Cid pointed out, "Not just that but Gongaga is small…are you trying to bring _all _of us? Shinra might have the place guarded."

"I've thought of all of that," Zack told them. "Which is why…I think we should split up. I'll head to Gongaga. You guys can head on to the Gold Saucer. Choco-jerky isn't going to fill us for long and besides, the Evil Elderlies hit us up for everything we had. I have a little bit left on me, that should cover hitch-hiking home."

"And back?" Aerith asked anxiously, coming closer. "How are you planning to get back? And isn't the Gold Saucer's Shinra's as well?"

"Mm, actually it's not," Yuffie interjected, licking grease from her fingers. "It's probably the most profitable business that's not affiliated with Shinra."

"Maybe so," Tifa added, "But we still can't go in there with Sephiroth. They'll recognize him instantly."

"Will they?" Cid asked dubiously, looking sideways at Sephiroth who was now patting his head and rubbing his stomach at the same time. "I sure as hell didn't."

"We could dye his hair?" Aerith offered.

"And get him some contacts…" Tifa nodded, mentally picturing it.

"And new clothes!" Yuffie squealed, drawing the other two women closer. "MAKE OVER!"

And with that, all three women gave a sinister grin, slowly locking on to their prey. Sephiroth was defenseless and none too gently, they snatched the arm rubbing his stomach and began to pull him in the opposite direction.

"Have fun in Gongaga!" Aerith called behind, and in a storm of excited babbling, the others disappeared from sight.

"Yeah…sure." Hefting the Buster Sword on his back, he turned and headed further south. It was nice now having the silence and downtime to really think but the longer he walked, the more he started to wonder if this was a mistake. His parents surely have already been told that he'd been killed. They must've already grieved and moved on; it'd been four years.

Then again, there was the possibility that they were naively optimistic, like Kunsel. He grinned at the thought of fitting Kunsel into his itinerary. But then, where was Kunsel? Still working for Shinra? If so, there was no way of visiting him. And even if he wasn't, the only mode of communication they had was the cellphone and Zack chucked his into a ravine outside Midgar. Zack was also impressed at his stupidity for not even remembering the number by heart after having looked at it for two years.

Well, there was nothing he could do about that. Instead, he started rehearsing what he'd say to his parents when he saw them. And even with a short amount of time, he wondered if he could wheedle a home-cooked meal before he left.

With like-minded hopes running through his head, he jauntily passed the opening gate into Gongaga late that afternoon. A worn and faded sign hung above with next to none of the letters visible anymore except for a feeble "ga". Every now and then, some well-meaning person would attempt to paint the name but the baking sun of the south would dry the wood, the paint would flake off, and in the end, it'd look just as it did from the beginning.

As he continued to walk down the entrance road, the trees began to grow thicker, making the road more of a narrow path. There was one plot of land that remained clear and it was with a jolt that Zack remembered the town graveyard. While all who passed in Gongaga were buried there, at least a quarter of the graves were victims to the mako reactor explosion from twenty years ago. Of course, it's a testament to Shinra's power that even with an incident that big, still nobody knew where Gongaga even was on the map. They'd buried the incident and bribed the poor townspeople and anyone that mentioned it to outsiders mysteriously went missing.

Still, he had to shake his head a little that the first sight of Gongaga was their _graveyard. _Probably why they didn't get too many visitors…

A few more minutes of walking brought him to the actual village proper, a viewpoint starting from the high hills of rich soil that looked down on the small cottages. On the outskirts were neat rows of Greens, food for chocobo and their main crop. In the furthest corner were the wetlands used for the rice fields. Somewhere below, he heard the raucous, incessant squawking of chocobo mating and smiled; he was home.

Breaking out into a run, he slid down the hill, stumbling in the soft dirt, still rich from last year's harvest. Even though each house looked exactly like the one before it, he knew where to find the Fair household. This was it! They would see him and laugh and cry and he'd regale them with tales of heroisms and they'd pick up where they left off, almost like he never left at all. He stopped outside his door, taking a deep breath to compose himself. Then, he raised an arm, curling his hand to knock—

"Don't do it, Zack."

He paused and looked around, initially not seeing anyone. _Maybe that's my subconscious talking. Although, that voice sounded strongly female. Whoa, my conscious is a woman?! That…might explain a few things…_

But from around the corner of the house came an immaculate black suit. And above that suit floated a halo of auburn, tinged with just the faintest highlights of gold. Cissnei of the carmel-colored hair. As casually as any Turk, she leaned against the wall, folding her arms as a slow smile spread across her face. "Long time, no see."

"What are you doing here?" he asked suspiciously.

"Well, that's not very polite!" She stepped closer, standing level with him. The fact that he'd ever felt anything for her made him feel guilty for even being in her presence, as though he were already cheating on Aerith. He took a conscious step backwards and she smiled all the more. "I figured you'd come back here. I've been keeping an eye on your parents while you were away."

He blinked, scratching his head. "…thanks? I don't think my parents are in any danger though. To them, I'm dead."

Cissnei nodded, putting her hands in her pockets and kicking a clod of dirt. "Yeah, but _we _know the truth. They figured you'd make your way back here when you escaped."

"Shinra thinks I actually am dead now; they Swiss-cheesed me in front of Midgar. Pretty ugly. Don't tell me, they still think I'm alive."

She bit the corner of her lip. "Tseng told me you were still alive. I'd stopped keeping watch on the place several weeks ago after you escaped and Shinra supposedly killed you. I honestly thought that finally you died. But when he told me he saw you last night, I decided to come back here. And I was right. Initially, I wanted to warn you away because Shinra was still hanging around. But now…"

She reached forward and made an attempt to try to turn him around. "Go back, Zack. Move on with your life. You have friends that need you and from what I've heard from Tseng, Sephiroth isn't in the greatest of shape. He needs you too. Your parents are fine, but they've moved on from your death. Considering you're still in danger of being recognized, it'd be real selfish on your part to pop up alive just to actually die for real later. Don't do that to them."

Zack understood her point and he'd considered the same thing as well. "I know, Cissnei. It is selfish. But still…I want to see them. I heard from Tseng once who heard from Rude who heard from Reno who heard from Elena that you're an orphan. If you could meet your parents, just once, even after all these years…wouldn't you take it?"

With a snarl, she yelled, "Elena, that bitch! I told her that in secret!" But her eyes were wet. She nodded as she wiped them. "I would. It'd be selfish on me, too, but I'd take the opportunity to meet them if given even the slightest chance. But…Zack? Don't tell me I didn't warn you."

She walked away on that ominous note, leaving only the door to stand between him and his parents.

~.~.~

"C'mon, daddy needs a seven!" Barret yelled, rolling the dice. With a rough shake and a strong hand, he threw the dice on the board where they tumbled together before coming to a halt.

Five and three.

And with a glare from Barret, the three flipped to two.

"WHOOO! That's what I'm talkin' bout! They call me Mr. Biggs! Cause I win big buck-buck-bucks!" He greedily raked in the massive pile of chips and cash over to his side, swiping the dice up. With a shake and a "lucky" blow, he threw them again.

On the side, Tifa shook her head. "Those dice are rigged. I just _know _it."

Yuffie ripped off a piece of choco jerky and shrugged. "What do you care? We're broke and these rich assholes come to the Saucer every week, trying to win more money. So what if the guy that actually needs the money uses a few cheap tricks to get ahead? His money is our money so I'm not complaining."

She turned on her, hovering menacingly. "Where's your sense of honor?"

"I'm a pirate, what honor?"

Throwing up her hands, Tifa stormed off muttering "Screw it!"

Cid came up and stood admiring the casino excitement. "How come you're not off playing some game? Everyone else is." Also secretly, he enjoyed that she had somewhat become obsessed with the jerky.

"Oh, I'm waiting for the right moment. There's materia all over the place. People get into the games and forget a purse lying here or a bag lying there and that's my cue. Of course, the real gold is behind the scenes. I gotta find a way to get to the employee lounge. That's where I'll find the best materia."

He glanced at her out the corner of his eye with an upwards nod, amused. "Uh-huh. Or you'll find a bunch of goons snorting fairy dust. Also profitable but I'm not seeing you as a drug dealer. Either way, don't do anything stupid to blow our cover. Barret's already drawing too much attention, not to mention the Ken doll you ladies turned Sephiroth into."

He jerked a thumb to a black jack table where Sephiroth sat, staring as the cards piled up in his hands. They'd managed to find a blond wig for him and at the girls' insistence they wrestled blue contacts on him. Now, he looked more like a distant family member of the Strife's. Perhaps like Cloud's more-handsome older cousin. Cloud was put on babysitting duty to sulkily watch him, which in and of itself wasn't hard as Sephiroth was easily amused by everything. He'd quickly picked up that to get more cards, all he had to say was "hit me" and suddenly he had a hand full of cards. Just look at them! All different colors and fun shapes to see! He could do this forever!

Except that Sephiroth had over-shot the goal of twenty-one by fifty.

And…people were starting to stare and whisper. Which inevitably led to one of two reactions. They either slinked away from the crazy guy or they looked pityingly upon Cloud for taking care of his mentally-challenged family member. And worse still, it made it hard to hate Sephiroth as Cloud originally wanted to do. But the man that'd murdered his mother wasn't the same man that sat next to him now so he had no choice but to check his anger and deal with it.

Across the room, Vincent stood in front of a counter, waiting for the girl on the other side to stop staring at him.

"..._you _want a cup for the coins?" She asked, smacking gum in such a way that little bubbles popped furiously as she brought her teeth down. He hated gum. _Hated _it. And those that chose to smack their gum were on a level of hatred only rivaled by his hatred of Hojo.

"Yes. I would like a cup for the slot machines."

She sized him up and down again, as though disbelieving that he could ever want to gamble.

He was quickly losing his patience. "Look, could you just give me the damn cup? I don't have all day. And stop staring! It's rude."

This clearly meant nothing to her as she reached under the counter and carelessly slammed the coin cup. All the while never taking her eyes off him and still smacking her gum. "Whatever."

Oh, that was it.

He reached across the counter and smashed their lips together, twisting their heads back and forth. The display went on for several long seconds, involving tongue and a bit of biting, before they broke apart, her gasping with surprise and him growling in satisfaction. From his own mouth he withdrew the gum and tacked it to the countertop. "If I ever come back here again and see you chewing that gum, there's going to be hell to pay." He snatched up his cup and in a flurry of red, stalked off to the slot machines.

…and leaving her to wonder that if that's what one of his warnings were like, maybe she wouldn't mind having hell to pay…

~.~.~

In the back of the casino, Aerith stood in full burlesque garb, clutching two large black sequined feathers and wondering just how she'd ended up in this situation.

All she knew was that she was desperately trying to find the restroom when she accidentally wandered into the changing room for the performers. She figured she might quickly ask one of the women where she could find a bathroom but was immediately cut off by a manager. Or whom she thought was the manager.

"What the hell, you're not dressed yet? You're on in five minutes!" He couldn't have been too much older than his early thirties, clean suit, hair styled and parted fashionably. He looked like the kind of man that didn't like to miss a single opportune cent and Aerith was possibly going to make him do just that.

She looked back at the other women in leotards and scanty dresses and couldn't help a giggle. "I'm not with them, I'm just looking—"

"You think this is funny?! All you girls are the same, think the money will just fall in your lap if you bat your eyes a little bit. You actually have to _work _for it." To himself he muttered, "This'll be the last time I hire college girls." Turning back to Aerith, he seemingly snatched an outfit off a rack without even looking at it and shoved it at her. "Three minutes. Get dressed. _Now._"

He stormed out, his expensive cologne wafting after him.

The instant the door slammed shut, the other girls suddenly sprinted to her side. "So happy you decided to fill in for Margaret, the show would've been a wreck one girl short," one woman said, pulling on Aerith's dress in an attempt to get her to start changing.

"What Dio doesn't know is that Margaret quit; she's not just sick today," Another woman said, pulling off Aerith's shoes and slipping on a sleek pair of black heels higher than anything Aerith would've ever cared to have worn.

"You're a lifesaver, you know. Our wage is slashed if the crowd doesn't love us. But you're young and cute and who doesn't love a redhead?" A third woman began to pull at the pink bow in her hair and discard it carelessly but Aerith grabbed it in time, clutching it protectively.

The other ladies went to work helping her into the corset, styling her hair as theirs and applying dramatic makeup. When they were done, they nodded in satisfaction before someone else inquired, "You _do _know the steps, right?"

"Uhh…"

Suddenly, the door banged open and the one named "Dio" came back in. "You're on! Smiles, ladies!" He growled the words, making them do the exact opposite. "I want them salivating on the stage for you! Now go!"

In dainty prances, the others shuffled out, herding Aerith along with them. Now she stood just out of sight in the wing of the stage, holding a large feathered fan that she couldn't remember ever being put there.

Music from seemingly nowhere began to blare, cheesy, show-tuney music and the other girls snapped to attention, backs straight and smiles so big, they'd give Barbie a run for her money. The curtain rose and in a single file, they danced their way out onto the stage.

Aerith tried her hardest to keep up until they began to run in intricate, looping circles. More than once, she crashed into the back of one girl, who would quickly spin her around and nudge her to run the other way. At one point, the music stopped and the stage was instantly plunged into darkness as everyone struck a pose. Except for a single light beamed center-stage just where Aerith happened to be standing.

She knew she looked like a deer caught in headlights, frozen mid-step. Someone coughed in the silence. She glanced over at the other girls, who all had an expectant look, as though saying _go on…_

Aerith had no idea what she was supposed to go on and do. Whoever this Margaret was, she picked a hell of a time to run away. With the crowd getting restless, the girls whispering frantically amongst themselves and Dio looking like he was on the brink of crushing the glass in his hand, she decided to do the only thing she could think of to save face; she sang.

_L is for the way you look at me…_

Somewhere to her left, she could've sworn she heard one of the girls begin to sob. She felt bad as she knew Dio would be pissed. But maybe…just maybe—

_O is for the only one I see. _Getting into it, she strutted the stage, coyly hiding behind the massive feather in her hand. The restless shuffling of the crowd began to die down and was replaced with nods and catcalls.

_V is very, very extraordinary_

_E is even more than anyone that you adore can_

Behind her, the others had begun a simple can-can dance, legs kicking up in time to the acapella singing and smiling big for the crowd as though the massive pause from before was planned. Dio looked like he was finally calming down but Aerith decided to seal the deal just to be certain. As the song wrapped up with _Two in love can make it, take my heart and please don't break it_, she traipsed off the stage and sat down directly in his lap, stroking his face. _Zack, forgive me…_

With the strongest note she could manage, she finished the last line with _Love was meant for me and you_, snuggling almost coquettishly against the man. With screams and cheers of "Encore!" she stood and bowed, Dio standing to clap the hardest of them all. "I misjudged you, sweetheart," he grinned; she shuddered. He pulled a card out his pocket and with all the care of a man that knew he could get away with it, tucked the card between the bosoms of the corset. "Give me a call; I can make you a star."

Still grinning, he strode off. Once out of sight, she barely had time to snarl and rip the card before someone was roughly tugging on her. Spinning around, she came face to face with Cid. "Get yer shit and let's get outta here. Yuffie blew us; it's only a matter of time before Dio finds out that she cracked the casino safe."

"Wait, _what?!" _Aerith allowed him to pull her through the exiting crowd. Already, she could see way more security than when she'd stumbled into the dressing room. "I thought she was hunting for materia, and was a smallfry at even that. Since when was she able to crack safes?"

Cid grunted, rounding a corner quickly as a man barked orders into a walkie-talkie as he passed. "Hell if I know; that safe did contain materia…and what must be at least a quarter million gil."

Aerith groaned, then remembered something. "Where are the others?"

"Already outside. Barret knows some people in North Corel outside of the Gold Saucer."

_Thank Minerva for small wonders. _But suddenly, she jerked to a stop, causing Cid to stop with her. He fully intended to yell for her to get the molasses out her ass but then he realized what had caught her attention.

Sephiroth stood in the middle of the casino floor, minus the blonde wig and missing a blue contact. His own hair was still horribly butchered and this was probably his only saving grace from anyone noticing who he was. It wasn't much however; people were staring a second too long, as though seeing someone they couldn't quite put a finger on.

Spotting her, Sephiroth grinned childishly and trotted over. "Hello, Aerith Gainsborough. I was getting lonely. Where did you go?"

She chuckled nervously, taking a step back. The fact that he only ever talked to her—and in a way as though he somehow knew everything about her, no less—was starting to become disturbing. "I was…um…in the ladies room," she offered, which wasn't a complete lie.

Sephiroth nodded, tilting his head to the side. "Don't leave again," he commanded with a smile before closing his eyes and beginning a monotone hum.

"He fuckin' creeps me out," Cid admitted, not even bothering to keep his voice down. If Sephiroth heard him, he showed no reaction. "C'mon, grab the freak. You seem to be the only one he even responds to."

Reluctantly, Aerith looped Sephiroth's arm through hers and proceeded to drag him out of the casino. They hurried outside where full-blown pandemonium had broken out. Dio had evidently found his safe robbed and had barricaded the cable cars that ran between North Corel and the Gold Saucer. With over a thousand people pushing back against the hundred or so guards, every now and then, someone would slip through. But Aerith knew it was pointless for herself, Sephiroth and Cid to try. There was no way all three of them could fight their way to the front and much less, for all three to actually get on board.

"Anyone got any ideas?" Cid figured to ask, pointing a thumb at the mob. "I'm not fighting through that shit fest."

Without warning, Sephiroth suddenly drew both of them in with a bear hug. No one noticed the faint blue aura in the shadows of the casino as it enveloped them. As one small sphere, it flew over the crevice between the Saucer and Corel and landed quietly on the outskirts of the ramshackle town. Solidifying, Sephiroth stepped away from Cid and Aerith who both fell to their knees shaking.

"I saved Aerith of the Ancients and her unimportant accomplice," Sephiroth murmured to himself, his aura still radiating faintly.

"You…did save us," Aerith lamely admitted, wobbling from shock as she tried to stand up.

Cid raged, "Did you just call me unimportant?!" but Aerith shook her head.

"He's still obsessed with this Ancients thing. I don't know if I really am one but I'm willing to be whatever he wants me to be if it'll keep him happy," she whispered.

Cid threw her a glance. "Yeeah…I'd watch it with saying that if I were you. I don't think there is any fixing him but it looks like I'm the outnumbered one on that notion. He might seem as stupid as a dodo bird but I think he's plotting something. Either way, I don't trust him. Now come on; gotta find whatever retched hovel Barret told us to meet him at."

~.~.~

Disregarding Cissnei's warning, Zack pushed open the door to his home, face ready to smile at the first sight of his parents in five years.

Instead, he was stuck frozen in the doorway, not wanting to believe what he was seeing.

His parents were thankfully fine, his mother and father sitting on the living room sofa. On the floor was a boy, no older than about three, playing with a toy train that seemed bent on running over every other toy in the vicinity.

Zack's mother smiled and cooed, "Who's my little Zacky? Who's a good boy?"

Zack stepping inside and slammed the door shut, drawing their attention away from the baby. "_Mom_?"

"Zack!" She gasped.

"Me Zack!" the baby cheered, crashing the train through a platoon of helpless SOLDIER action figures.

"What the hell is going on here?" the adult Zack yelled, staring between his mother, his father and the random kid on the floor.

"…is it really you?" his father asked, also coming closer, but halting next to his wife. "They told us you died, that you were killed in action. How is it that you're alive?"

Zack actually laughed, shaking his head at their naivety. "They _lied_. Not like that's anything new. You remember the reactor; tell me how many people outside of Gongaga even knows of that. I'll tell you all about it later. But first…who's that?" He pointed down at the floor.

An uncomfortable ripple passed between his parents before his mother cleared her throat. "That's…Zack."

"The Second? Or maybe Zack junior?" Zack prodded.

She shook her head. "No. Just Zack."

His face fell and he took a step back against the door. "So you just replaced me?! Like you could just start all over, as though I never existed?"

His father came closer, attempting to place a hand on his shoulder, which Zack shook off. "We honestly thought you were dead. Your mother and I missed you so much…we'd been planning to have another baby anyways. But once we were told you were dead, we figured it was now or never."

Zack flinched, almost not wanting to hear this. "You're in your forties! When he starts first grade, you'll be in your fifties! When he graduates high school, you'll be retiring! If you missed me that much, you should've gotten a puppy, not had a baby! And certainly not named him exactly after me! I thought I was irreplaceable?"

With a weary sigh, his mother sat down again. "Of course you are, but Zack—"

"Me Zack!"

"—We were victims to Shinra's lies just as much as you were. If we'd known that you were still alive, I wouldn't have felt the need to fill the void with another child. You understand that, don't you?"

Zack knew what she was trying to say but felt too betrayed at the moment to agree. "I have friends that had more faith that I was still alive than my own parents. Keep your little _replica_. You don't have to worry about seeing me anymore." He threw open the door, slamming it behind him as he stormed out.

It didn't take long though for the same tell-tale steps to fall in beside him. "I tried to warn you," Cissnei said, struggling to keep up with his fast pace.

"No you didn't. You could've said, 'Hey Zack, your parents have another baby. By the way, they named him Zack.' That's warning me."

She frowned, working harder to keep up as he crested the outskirt hills that sheltered Gongaga. "You still would've walked in there just to see it for yourself. You still would've been hurt and betrayed and jealous—"

"I am NOT jealous of that wannabe!" Zack screamed, walking that much faster. His pace was now nearly a jog and in her suit, it was all Cissnei could do to keep up with him. "Imitated but not duplicated! There can only be one!"

She snorted. "You do realize he's only _two_, right? He's not trying to steal your style, Zack, I'm quite certain he's content with doing his own thing. But I'm sure he'd love to get to know his older brother. You should think about going back sometime—and soon—and trying to piece this together with your family—

"Not interested," Zack stole a line out of Cloud's book.

"Well aren't you just sure of yourself! What happened to that impassioned speech earlier about wanting to meet your family? Yes, it was weird of them to name him Zack but I'd say that's a testament to how much they loved you. They missed you so much, they wanted to bring some piece of you back. They're aware that he'll never be just like you, but maybe being able to say your name again and not refer to a dead person was what they needed to cope. Is there any way you could accept that?"

Part of what she was saying was sinking in but Zack wanted to angst a little longer over the matter. He wasn't quite ready to lick his wounds and move on. "I'll have to think about it," was all he offered before breaking into an out-right run beyond the village gates.

Cissnei slowed down, panting as she caught her breath. After a few seconds, she shouted into the air, "You can come out now!"

From the bushes sprang Elena, Reno and Rude, the first two grinning and the last looking stoic as ever. "That was amazing! Elena cheered, rushing forward. "No wonder you're always picked for negotiation missions!"

Cissnei gave a self-satisfied smile and drank in the compliment. She loved having her ego stroked by the rookies. Even if this "rookie" had been with them for five years.

Reno gave a slow clap to her, wearing a lazy smile. "Alright, so that wasn't bad. But did you manage to put the tracker on him? We still need to find Sephiroth. At least, that's what Tseng says is the assignment. We all know that it really translates to 'we need to find Aerith'".

Cissnei gave him a look as though highly offended. "If I couldn't do something as simple as that, what kind of Turk would I be?"

Elena squealed at her cool indifference. "You're always so awesome, Cissnei! I'm following you all the way to the top!"

"That's, um…generous. I guess." It wasn't lost on the girl just how much that sounded like a certain someone and what had been the final outcome of that hero-worshipping. "Don't try to be too much like me…"

The four soon came to a helicopter disguised in the thick jungle of Gongaga and as stealthily as they came, they flew back to Shinra to report the success of their mission.

* * *

><p>Yes, another massive hiatus but I come with a better excuse this time (oh, that's just saaaad :) But my computer caught a case of the Blue Screen of Death. Which even as I half cried over the keyboard as I futilely tried constant restarts (to no avail; I had to take it to a shop), I still had to laugh. It's probably one of the funnier ways you could (almost) lose your computer. I can't be the only one that cracks a smile at the ominous name "Blue Screen of Death" ^_^<p> 


	23. Sheep in Wolf's Clothing

**Sheep in Wolf's Clothing**

_ "All around me are familiar faces_

_Worn out places, worn out faces_

_Bright and early for their daily races_

_Going nowhere, going nowhere…_

_And I find it kind of funny, I find it kind of sad_

_The dreams in which I'm dying_

_Are the best I've ever had…"_

"If you don't shut that up, I'm going to wear _your _face out!" Cid yelled at Zack. They'd found him just an hour ago, sobbing out the same song in the middle of the North Corel slums. After many neighborhood complaints, they decided that it would be best if they continued their travels and managed to herd Zack out of the town. Through nearly indistinguishable sobbing, they gathered piece by piece that Zack's visit back to the south had gone…well, south.

Worst of all, Zack's caterwauling had set off Sephiroth now, who wouldn't stop barking. It was pitiful and nearly everyone had reached the end of their patience.

Aerith took a deep sigh, rubbing her fingers into her temples. She already knew she was the only one that could get both of them to shut up and judging by the looks on everyone's face, now would be a very good time to do that. Turning to Zack first, she wrapped an arm around his shoulder, allowing them to drop back from the group.

"I know it must've been hard to find that you now have a baby brother," she started, struggling to find the right words. "But it really could've been worse! You could've come home to find that your parents had divorced. Or that they'd moved. Or your parents had killed themselves over your death."

Zack threw back his head and wailed louder.

"Hey! I'm just saying! Be grateful that you _only _have a little brother! Besides, I want to see this brother of yours," Aerith declared, crossing her arms and becoming more defiant. "I love kids and I think he'd be adorable."

"He's a little snot-nosed brat that's stealing my thunder," Zack sniffled, blowing his own nose into Aerith's handkerchief. Once finished, he tried to hand it back to her, to which she grimaced and waved for him to keep it.

"I don't think I ever told you that I'm adopted, did I?" she said, her voice lowering so none of the others would hear her. Then again, Sephiroth's barking took care of that. "My mother said my real mother entrusted her with me shortly after I was born, right before she passed away. My mother never married and doesn't have any family, so it's always been just us two."

Zack held up a hand, cutting her off. "I already know where this is going. You have no family and thus you feel that all family should be cherished, blah blah. Cissnei already tried that one on me. It's not gonna work."

_That's fine, strategy number two, _Aerith thought. "Okay. Then I refuse to marry you, Zack Fair, until you make amends with your family."

Sephiroth had chosen that time to finally stop barking and thus her words had carried in the silence. Each person came to a grinding halt and turned to stare, not even hiding their nosiness.

Zack on the other hand was choking on his saliva and struggling vainly to get his breath back. Once the fit had finally subsided, his first response was to scream "I didn't even propose to you!"

She shrugged in that care-free way that only she could, clasping her hands behind her back and pacing in front of him. "No…but you will. You don't date a girl, wake up out of a mako tank after years, and still be hopelessly in love with her plus hopelessly optimistic that she hasn't moved on if you have no intention of marrying her. You might not pop the question today, maybe not even a month from now. But my answer is no until you learn to accept your new family."

"So if I say yes, will you say yes?" He'd meant for it to come out challenging, to sound tough and defiant, to let it be known that she was _not _going to boss him around. Instead, it came out as a meek whisper, his head bowed and his eyes pleading. He hadn't realized how much he needed her approval.

Aerith tilted her head, mockingly putting a finger on her lips in consideration. "Maay-be. _Do _you say yes?"

"Yes," he said automatically, knowing to struggle any longer was futile.

"Good. Then I say yes." She took his hand and gave a reassuring squeeze, showing that she was no longer mad.

And just like that, Zack had a fiancé.

Most of the others cheered for them, even Vincent giving a clap or two from his customary location of in the air. However, Cid's only blessing was "Have fun growing miserable together."

Zack's shock of what had happened allowed him to miss the comment but Aeirth replied back with "Don't be one of those people that's bitter about marriage just because your marriage failed!'

"I ain't bitter! I could care less if you two go dancing off into the sunset. I've never been crazy about marriage so _excuse me_ if I'm not wetting myself in excitement."

"No wonder your marriage failed," Barret shook his head, looking down at his own left ring finger.

"The cheating whore ran off on me, that's why it failed!" Cid countered, then threw in "I see you have a ring band but no ring. Seems like you're the last one to try to give marriage advice, Dr. Phil."

"My wife _died_, thank you very much!" Barret roared, already starting to release the gun safety. He didn't mind sending this hick back to Rocket Town via the Bullet Express.

Tifa ran between them, pushing them back. "Would you two chill? And chill means powering that thing down, Barret," she added to him when he didn't stop charging the cannon. "These two here have just promised themselves to each other"—Cid and Barret gagged—"and all you can think about is killing the other person. You're ruining the moment!"

Zack was grinning madly and in his happy delirium, he turned to Cloud and asked, "You'll be my best man, right?"

"Well, I uh…"

Zack hadn't forgotten his charm as Zack the Puppy and turned up the wattage of his smile.

Staring into those watering blue eyes was heart-wrenching, as though he had not only just kicked a puppy but thrown a kitten in the river to boot. The power of persuasion was too strong and without meaning to, Cloud found himself saying "…sure. I guess."

"Great! I knew I could count on you!" Zack enveloped Cloud into a bearhug, nearly crushing his bones.

Having been too busy spastically cheering, Yuffie paused for a moment to dig into her bag. "Here! I have your first wedding gift! It's for _Aerith_," she said purposely, but staring at Zack. She walked up to the woman and placed in her hand a cool, smooth sphere that was translucent. It was the odd materia that they'd fought over shortly after they'd left Midgar. "We think it's a water materia but Zack seems to really be under the impression that there isn't such a thing. Either way, he couldn't use it right so I'll give it to you."

"Your wedding gift is a dud if they can't use it," Cloud told her, to which she attempted to make him take it back by giving him a death-stare. Still at only five-foot nothing, Yuffie was about as scary to Cloud as a squirrel. Unless they were rabid. He'd nearly been attacked by a rabid squirrel in Nibelheim once. In which case, yes, she was extremely frightening.

As though to cast a literal shadow on the setting, Vincent swooped down closer to circle from above. "There's a helicopter heading this way over the mountains and I have no doubt it belongs to Shinra. There's nowhere to hide out here so start getting ready for battle."

"How'd they know we were even out here?" Tifa asked. "And maybe they're just flying by and we're not their targets."

There on cue, the helicopter broke over the high cliffs and began an immediate descent. In less than thirty seconds, it had settled itself on the ground, blocking their path. As the way back only held the disgruntled citizens of Corel, they were essentially trapped.

"…I stand corrected," Tifa muttered.

The helicopter opened and the first person to climb out was an old and very familiar face to Zack. Somehow, he wasn't surprised to see Tseng again. He had said they'd meet again and espionage was their specialty. However, he did not expect to see Cissnei jump down next to him, followed by Reno, Rude and a new blonde girl they hadn't seen before.

"It really didn't take _all _of us to track them," Tseng said over his shoulder to his subordinates. "I could've handled this alone."

"Yeah, but it's more impressive this way," Reno said, looking at the others to back him up. "We're like…the Men in Black! Galaxy defenders!"

The Turks groaned.

"Enough with your silly chattering, I've come here for one reason and one reason only," an unmistakably nasally voice said and with revulsion, they watched as Hojo also climbed out of the helicopter. "I'm here to retrieve what is mine. Sephiroth, come," he commanded.

Zack's group looked to Sephiroth, who stood on one foot, nervously scratching behind a leg with the other. In Corel, it was realized that project makeover had failed. Sephiroth's hair had inexplicably grown out again within just two days and the wig was shed. As his usual leather outfit was now more scraps than a full ensemble, they'd traded it for some clothes left behind by Zack during his visit to Gongaga. He now sported a gray hoodie with dark jeans that were a little too small on his taller frame.

The new outfit though also highlighted his sudden vulnerability, opposite of the effect his general uniform had. Submissively keeping his eyes on the ground, he slowly started toward Hojo.

"You don't have to listen to him!" Aerith called, which earned her stares from nearly everyone. She already had a feeling that it was pointless to explain herself but did so anyways. "We agreed that we wouldn't kill Sephiroth but we don't have to let Hojo "modify" him either. He's been through enough. I don't want to see if he gets worse."

Vincent stepped forward, throwing out an arm to block Sephiroth. "I'm agreeing with her. A science lab can't fix him, Hojo."

Easily annoyed, Hojo yelled "What, you're his _friends_ now? HA! Were he in his right mind, he wouldn't hesitate to kill any of you! Or maybe that's what you want, this weak creature to remain under your control because you're scared. You're scared of his power. He was made to be the greatest SOLDIER ever. So he was; so he will be again. I built him. I _know _him. Now damnit, Sephiroth, I said come here!"

Still being blocked, Sephiroth looked between Vincent and Hojo indecisively. Then like a lost child, he searched the crowd until he found Aerith. Not looking away, he said, "I want Aerith to come too."

"And she will be," Hojo said without hesitation, unaffected by the collective noises of surprise. "The Turks are already here for her and brought me along after I did a kind service for them."

Beside him, Zack felt Aerith's muscles tense and could read a rage he'd not seen before burning in her eyes. In a very quiet voice, she asked "Oh? And what service was that?"

"Well…it was sort of like this…" Tseng said, and oddly in third-person, he recounted the event that led up to this particular moment.

Tseng had walked into the Turk's break room earlier that morning to find a massive box on one of the tables. On top of it was a festive card with confetti printed everywhere. "Just wanted to thank the Turks for everything you do! You guys ROCK and are what keep Shinra together! Please enjoy these FREE cupcakes as a token of our appreciation! From, the Science Department."

Tseng wanted to piece it all together. He tried but the smell of the cupcakes was too overwhelming. "Free cupcakes from the Science Department. Though we have no work relation with each other and this looks 100% suspicious, I'm going to have one anyways!"

Halfway through his fourth cupcake, Reno, Elena and Rude wandered in, read the note, equally discarded it, and proceeded to devour the cupcakes too.

"Hojo later approached me and said that he'd been the one to provide the cupcakes," Tseng finished, the panoramic view of his thoughts closing. "Once he said that, I couldn't just say no to his one request. Besides…it was multi-beneficial. It brought me closer…to you."

Whether that was meant to be romantic would never be known. In a moment of fury that Zack had never seen (and hoped he'd never see again), Aerith exploded, "You sold me out for a fucking _cupcake?!_"

"No, you don't understand, you had to have _tasted_ these cupcakes!" Reno threw in, sucking the last of what might've been frosting from his fingers. "You'd sell your own mother out for these! And what were in them anyways?" he asked Hojo.

A thin smile spread on the scientist's face and that's when it finally sunk in that it was a trap. "Nothing too unusual…sugar, flour, a sleeping agent or two. It should be kicking in about…now."

Elena was on the ground before he finished. Falling like dominoes, Rude, Reno, Tseng and Cissnei immediately followed. Hojo cackled his disgusting laugh, nodding happily. "Good, very good. I only used them as they'd placed a tracker on Zack, and they'd nicely notified me that Sephiroth was with him. However, for all the Turks work as informants, they forgot to check that I have a helicopter pilot's license. It was from thirty-seven years ago, but I'm positive nothing has changed much since then. Now, for the third and final time, come here, Sephiroth!"

This time, Sephiroth went. In a meek shuffle, he approached Hojo with his head down. Once next to him, he nervously pushed a corner of his longer bangs into his mouth and began to chew on his hair. Hojo saw it and was about to scold him when Sephiroth reminded him with a quiet voice, "Aerith comes too?"

That disgusting smile slid across Hojo's face, like a buzzard spying a rotting carcass. He focused his attention on Aerith but immediately the entire group blocked her from his sights. He didn't seem to notice. "Bringing Aerith would certainly aid me in the research I started over twenty years ago. Studying the last Ancient left next to the last living cells of Jenova. Or to see what would happen if the Jenova and Ancient cells mix—"

"Not happening," Zack cut through, tightening his grip on the Buster sword.

"—But the Turks seem to have their eye already on her. I had initially come here with intentions of retrieving the both of you but I'll save that for another time. They say hindsight is 20/20 and perhaps I should've left the trigger-happy fools conscious to help with the haul. However, I have what I really wanted so I'll take my leave." He attempted to turn Sephiroth around toward the helicopter but the ex-SOLDIER's feet refused to move.

"You're wrong," Sephiroth told him. He still hadn't raised his eyes.

Hojo shook his head and tried to push harder but still Sephiroth wouldn't budge. "Move it! We don't have all day! Do you know how long I've waited to bring you back? You're costing me my research and furthermore, compromising my position as the head of the Science Department!"

"You're wrong about Mother. She was an Ancient. Me and Aerith are the last…"

The old man stopped his fruitless shoving and pondered Sephiroth as though he'd said that unicorns truly did exist. "I'm not certain where you got that crack-pot theory but that's been cleared for decades. Jenova's not an Ancient and most certainly, neither are you."

Then he paused for a second as realization dawned, quite shocked that he hadn't caught it sooner. "So _that's _why you want her to come! Poor, poor Sephiroth, so naïve as to believe everything you read. I have no doubt that you visited the secret lab during your last mission in Nibelheim. Those records are as old as you are. And just like everything about you now, they're _wrong_. The only Ancient left is that girl over there. And she's a half-breed at that."

"Proud of it," Aerith countered, shoving past her protectors.

Something at the back of Zack's mind kept trying to present itself, a memory that he'd forgotten from a long time ago. It was almost as if this conversation had an air of déjà vu. A conversation about Jenova…and Loveless.

Knowing that Sephiroth's mind wasn't the most stable, Zack decided to start off slow. "Sephiroth, do you remember Genesis? He used to be your best friend."

"I have no friends."

Zack clenched a fist at his side, already feeling that this was going to be a battle against Sephiroth's denial. "You may not think you have friends now but you did used to have a few. Don't you remember Genesis? Redhead, was infatuated with Loveless, thought he was a Japanese rock star?"

_There. _For the briefest second, a light of recognition flashed on Sephiroth's bowed face. It was an almost imperceptible jerk but immediately afterwards, Sephiroth composed himself. "Don't know him."

"We just saw him two days ago!" Cloud yelled, starting to really get pissed with this game. "You're only saying that because he told you something you didn't want to hear, that Jenova—"

"Nnneeeeiiiighh!" Sephiroth brayed, complete with a violent snort and a shake of his mane.

Hojo made a sound of disgust. "I see it's worse than I thought. It'll take months to get him back to even a fourth of where he was at! And—Sephiroth, what happened to Masamune?"

Having diverted the conversation temporarily, Sephiroth quieted down to look at what was left of his sword. He'd found that he'd been unwilling to part with what remained of his once proud weapon. "It broke. Can you fix it?"

Pushing up his glasses, Hojo peered at it closer. "I can't fix it; I'm a scientist, not a swordsmith. But Shinra has plenty employed under them. That was the only sword that ever fit you. If you come along, they'll be able to fix it for you. And I can get to work on fixing _you_," he added under his breath.

From the back of the clustered group, Zack heard Cid curse under his breath. "Looks like we're stuck between a rock and a hard place. If we let him go, Hojo won't waste any time in training him to kill again and I'm willing to bet we'll be first on the list. If we stop him, it means still babysittin' him. Frankly, there's still option number three in which we—"

"What part of we're not killing him did you miss?" Tifa asked, jabbing him in the ribs. While he leaned over to rub where she'd hit him, she leaned down too, only those around her now able to hear her. "If we play this right, we can maybe fully convert him to our side. Imagine if we can redirect the anger he felt at humans back to just Shinra. All the SOLDIERs in the world couldn't stop him!"

"I did," Cloud snorted, feeling cocky but a little stung that she seemed to have forgotten that it'd been him that was the hero. "And I didn't even need to use mako."

Zack grinned and gave a thumbs up, making Cloud puff out his chest. "I like Tifa's idea. It's what I'd sort of wanted to do from the beginning. Babysitting Sephiroth sucks, don't get me wrong. Especially since he seems to think the rest of us are absolutely useless except for Aerith. To him, I'm the sidekick! Last time I checked, I was the main protagonist of the game!"

"Zack dear, you're digressing," Aerith said sweetly.

"Oh, right. But you understand what we have to do. Sometimes the hardest thing and the right thing are the same. So, from this day forth, we're all committing to operation Save Sephiroth, got it?"

Vincent clicked his teeth and literally rolled his eyes. "Enough with the theatrics, we're all on board. I refuse to consider this any kind of mission. I simply like the idea of knowing that we have Shinra's greatest hope under our control instead. "

"Couldn't they just build Sephiroth 2.0?" Yuffie asked, then jerked a thumb at the original. "It might be quicker to rebuild from that one, but instead of running all over the globe chasing after him, why not just start fresh?"

"That day in Nibelheim, Jenova's body was disintegrated into the Lifestream," Cloud informed them almost superiorly. "The main reason that Sephiroth was so strong to begin with was because he had Jenova's cells. Remember Genesis and Lazard eating his hair?"

The others' faces turned green and Barret mumbled, "I don't think I could ever forget."

Cloud shrugged. "Well, that's why. There can't be a Sephiroth 2.0 without the cells. That said, we might want to do something quick. Sephiroth doesn't look too happy."

In pulling away from their group huddle, they noticed tiny Hojo pulling uselessly on the back of Sephiroth's hoodie, trying to get him to budge and climb aboard the helicopter. Sephiroth though was standing still and had finally raised his head to look at them. Or more specifically, he'd zeroed in on Aerith.

Aerith took a large step to the side to get out of his line of sight.

Sephiroth's eyes followed her.

"Do something, Aerith," Zack encouraged her, giving a small nudge. She stumbled a bit, righted herself, and then took a few small steps forward.

"…hi, Sephiroth," She said cautiously, her hand held out as though trying to entice a rabbit to feed out her palm. "Why not stay here with us. Don't you like being here with me?"

"Don't listen to her, Sephiroth!" Hojo shrieked, now becoming panicked and pulling that much harder on his shirt with absolutely no success.

"Yes," Sephiroth answered Aerith's question.

"Don't you want to find out who you really are?" She said softly, now almost within his reach. She held his eyes, hoping hers radiated trust to counteract the fear in his.

But instead of agreeing with her, he said "I already know who I am. I'm an Ancient. Just like you." And in an unexpected move, he instead held out his hand to her, a full smile on his lips. "Join with me and let us take back this planet together in the name of Mother."

Aerith stopped walking, dropping her hand to her side. Steeling her voice, she said "You're _not _ like me, Sephiroth. You're not an Ancient. Jenova was not an Ancient. And I think it's time you fully comprehended that."

Zack wasn't but ten feet away and wanted to get between the two, but was scared that any sudden movements might set off a trigger. Even with a broken sword, Sephiroth was too dangerous. And either way, perhaps the most dangerous weapon ever was a broken mind.

"If I'm not an Ancient, then why do I feel drawn to you?" Sephiroth said, and Zack barely held back a groan of disgust. "Something has been pulling me to you since the day we met. I know you must feel it, just as I do. Our powers resonating together. Every fiber of my being wants to…wants to…" Something flickered in Sephiroth's eyes before his pupils grew wide. At last, clarity.

Behind him, a horrid smile spread on Hojo's face. "Oh, this is going to get good. It was about time it happened."

Before any of them could react, Sephiroth snapped out a hand and grabbed Aerith around the throat. He held any attacks at bay by tightening his grip on her, making it clear that any interference would result in her death.

"For once, it looks like Hojo was right," Sephiroth said, holding his arm up higher to where Aerith began to kick frantically, gasping for air. The scientist made a derisive noise but otherwise remained out of the way. "I was a fool. Blinded by my ignorance. I wholly wanted to believe I was an Ancient. I craved vengeance for my Mother's death, who'd only wanted to help the planet that had forsaken her. I thought you and I, Aerith, were bonded by our heritage. Well, I suppose I'm not too far off about that."

He let go of her, dropping her to the ground. Aerith fell hard, collapsing into a ragged pile as she desperately sucked in breaths and coughed. Zack thought that meant that they had an opening but Sephiroth pulled out the remaining piece of Masamune. Even with a foot of it missing, an impressive length still remained. Placing it under her chin, he pulled her head up, forcing her to look at him.

Sephiroth turned his head to the side, smiling benevolently down at her. "What I mistook for a familial connection was really the thrill of the hunter stalking its prey. Mother wanted to destroy all life, reigning with absolute power over the entire universe. No, Aerith, we're not equals. That'd be the same as me considering to be related to a finely prepared steak."

"You plan to eat her?" Cid couldn't help asking. Zack scowled at him, to which he shrugged. "What? I wanna know."

Sephiroth actually paused to think about it, blinking. "No, I won't eat her. Fine, it's the same as the lion befriending the sheep. Either way, Ancients are far more inferior to Mother and I."

During the entire ordeal, Aerith had not cowered away. She looked Sephiroth in the eye, prepared to meet any fate dealt to her without giving him the satisfaction of seeing her beg for her life. "If what you say is true," she rasped, her throat still sore, "Then why is it that me and you are the last of our kinds? If your Mother—" she hissed the word—"Was better, was stronger and more adept, why isn't she here? She's been dead for over two-thousand years. That means at least two-thousand years after her death, my kind still survived. My biological mother was an Ancient. And you? Well, you only have _borrowed _cells."

In hearing her, a piece of Zack wanted to say that maybe that was a bit too harsh. Then again, you don't tend to think kind thoughts about a man that was holding a sword to your fiancé's throat.

In hearing her words though, Sephiroth's hand twitched and his grip loosened. With speeds that'd endear him to her forever, Zack watched as Yuffie flung a large starred blade at Sephiroth's hand. Masamune was knocked into the air and with the second opening given, Zack ran forward and snatched Aerith back, keeping her safe within the group.

Or tried to, anyways. She wasn't going to run away and after assembling her weapon, she joined him on the front lines, smiling and giving him a two-finger salute.

He didn't deserve a girl this awesome.

Sephiroth very slowly walked and retrieved his blade where it stuck up out of the ground. Tapping it thoughtfully against his leg, he began to pace in a small circle, seemingly talking to himself. "How _did _Mother die? Having obliterated so many planets, what did this planet have that was so much different? Had she underestimated her enemy? And what of me? I am but a surrogate son to Mother. Would she even want me were she here? Would _I _want me? Well, yes, I would, simply because I'm that amazing. But Mother's powers rival mine tenfold. I cannot exist beyond this plane. I cannot sail the cosmos bringing the gift of destruction as she could. So, what do I do…?"

Hojo's smile had been getting steadily bigger and here, he raised his head, the sun flashing just perfectly off the corner of his glasses. "I have a simple answer to that, Sephiroth. Come back with me and I can make you stronger. I'll make you even better than Jenova! You'll be able to do anything you want, nothing will stand in your way!"

"You wouldn't even let me have a puppy," Sephiroth abruptly said, halting in his pacing. "You said it was too unhygienic for the lab. If I couldn't even have a pet, why should I believe you now that I'll be able to do whatever I want?"

Vincent had the answer to that: "Because you're too powerful for him to tell you that you can't. If you _really _wanted to bring a puppy into Shinra, Sephiroth, you could. Seriously, what is Hojo going to do? Ground you? Spank you? He'll yell, he'll be pissed and he'll just have to deal with it. He can't literally force you to get rid of it."

Sephiroth looked at him and gave him one of his very rare, confused and innocent expressions. "…I never thought of it like that. I'm grown. I don't have to do anything anyone tells me to. No more bedtimes. No more tasteless lab food. I can have puppies and sleepovers and finally eat an entire pack of Oreos without being forced to run on a treadmill for three hours afterwards! I'm in control of my life, not you!" At these last words, he turned on Hojo, a hand raised that cupped a ball of flame.

Hojo began to slowly back away, his hands raised in a pitiful gesture. "Now now, Sephiroth, let's not get carried away. Keep in mind, I _made _you! You're indebted to me—"

"I never asked for this!" Sephiroth shouted. "Who the hell would willingly become your labrat?"

"SOLDIERs," Hojo said and looked over at Zack and Cloud. Cloud of course had never become a legitimate SOLDIER but that'd been his intention during his time at Shinra.

Zack told him, "A quick injection that we willingly chose is different. Mainly because of that nice little thing called free will."

Sephiroth held his hand up higher, the flames growing larger and beginning to crackle with an infusion of electricity. "I'm more than just a piece in their games," he said, referring to Shinra but speaking to the scientist, who gave him a very annoyed stare. "And yes, that is a reference but Peeta had a point. You're going to leave here Hojo and if I ever see you again or if you even think of sending someone else after me, I will hunt you down and shove this—" he gestured to his energy sphere—"so far down your throat, you're going to shit sparks for weeks. Now _go._"

Scampering backwards, Hojo tripped over the bodies of the still unconscious Turks. Leaving them, he scrambled up and made a break to the helicopter. "You're a broken product anyways," he yelled back over his shoulder. "What I had thought was my creation may have become my greatest failure, but I'm not done yet. There's always something…or someone…to experiment on." With a dangerous wobble, the helicopter began to lift off of the ground and flew crookedly back over the mountings from whence it came.

The sound of the propellers finally woke the Turks, who muttered dark curses on Hojo for leaving them.

"I knew those cupcakes couldn't be trusted," Rude said, putting back on his sunglasses.

"Yeah Rude, you screwed us all over!" Reno said, continuing to lick off his fingers.

"I radioed for a pickup and they'll be here in twenty minutes," Tseng said, flipping his phone shut. "The rendezvous spot is ten minutes away though. We need to get moving." Before walking away though, he turned and looked at Aerith. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry."

She shook her head pleasantly, hands clasped behind her back. "It's fine. I know now that you really only wanted to protect me." She smiled sweetly, causing Zack to blurt out—

"We're engaged." He wanted to set the record straight before Tseng got any other ideas.

But to his annoyance, Tseng showed no emotion. "That's fine. You're not in SOLDIER anymore so you're not even close to making the money you were before. She'll get tired of you soon enough." He playfully winked at Aerith before leading his group ahead to their pickup location.

Now alone, the initial group of eight looked on at Sephiroth. He'd sat himself down on a large rock, Masamune hanging limply in his hand. He looked worn and defeated. Or maybe like he'd just won a very exhausting battle. Sephiroth sighed. "Now what?"

"You're welcome to stay as long as you don't try to kill me," Aerith bubbled.

Sephiroth waved a lazy hand. "At this point, it wouldn't be worth it. It was Mother—Jenova—that had a grudge against the Ancients. Listening to her has caused me to do a lot of things that I regret. Namely…ruining your village, Strife."

Cloud turned away, biting his lip. "Damnit! Every time I think that I finally have the clear to kill him, he always pulls a new stunt like this! It's not fair!"

To make it worse, Sephiroth gave them a full, genuine smile, his green eyes flecked with gold shining in the sun. "You know what I really want? I want to be able to have friends again. I think that that's what I've missed the most."

As Cloud's wailing grew louder, Vincent spoke over him and said, "We're still here to help you. You've taken a very impressive step forward so far, but I have in mind one more thing that I think could really help."

Taking a deep breath, he said, "I'd like to take you back to where it all started. For both you, and me."

* * *

><p>Unless I manage to come up with some other out-of-the-blue ideas, this chapter is the next to last. ^_^<p> 


	24. Safe and Sound

**Safe and Sound**

Two days of nonstop chocobo riding brought them back to the eastern continent. Most had protested using the birds again in favor of just flying, but Vincent reminded them that with Sephiroth in tow, security would be too difficult to get through. Not because he was supposed to be dead (although that too would cause quite a stir), but there were still his extremely obsessed fanclubs who would draw too much attention. Last thing they needed was for them to congest the airport with their clinging and screams for an autograph. As if airports weren't already hellish enough.

So, using some leftover greens from their time in Cosmo Canyon, they acquired enough steads to traverse the ocean between. _But of course, only Sephiroth could look that noble riding an eight-foot bird, _Zack frowned, watching his perfect posture. The only thing that ruined it was the un-Sephiroth -and-yet-still-Sephiroth grin on his face. Multiple times, Sephiroth had leaned forward and cooed something unintelligible to the chocobo, making it happily coo back and fluff its feathers. _And a regular Dr. Dolittle too._

But at last, they touched down in a small village that he'd never been to before. It'd been Vincent that had guided them and he hadn't bothered to tell them where exactly they were going. However, the entrance sign informed them that they were in the town of Kalm. Kalm…something about it tugged at Zack, a memory that he'd all but forgotten. If he'd never been here before, how could it be so important?

"I need to ask for some directions," Vincent told them, distractedly tucking back in his wings and doing something that might've been his version of primping. "We're in the right town but I'm not completely sure where to go here. All of us asking around would look suspicious."

"…speaking of suspicious, shouldn't one of _us _ask instead?" Tifa said, trying to give a kindly look to him. "You…don't exactly give the message of subtlety."

Vincent examined his hands, his eyes resting on the gold claw. "You might be right. Fine, I assign you to the task. There's a bar here and I need for you to ask about someone for me."

Tifa nodded. "Sounds easy enough. I used to work at a bar, I know how to ask for information on the low."

"And that leaves the rest of us to do…?" Yuffie figured to ask.

"Nothing," Vincent replied shortly and ushered Tifa away from them to whisper in her ear, leaving Yuffie to huff indignantly.

The rest waited outside the appointed bar, trying to lean on the wall and blend but nearly every person that passed them gave them suspicious looks. "Maybe some of us ought to actually go inside so that we're not just standing around?" Cloud suggested.

"I'm agreein' with ya," Cid put in, rubbing the stubble on his chin thoughtfully as he eyed the bar. "And frankly, I could do with a tall, cold one. I ain't had a drink since I left Rocket Town."

"That was only last week," Zack told him.

"And you were drinking at the Gold Saucer," Barret added.

"Both of you shut yer traps! If I want a drink then I want a drink! Doesn't matter how long it's been!"

"Doesn't that sort of mean that you have a dependency?" Aerith quietly asked.

"You should try substituting it with something else," Sephiroth added, surprising them. "Every time you feel like a drink, just count the night stars…" he trailed off, looking blissfully up at the sky.

"It's two in the afternoon, moron," Cid notified him. Sephiroth frowned, as though this obvious concept hadn't occurred to him, then shrugged and continued to stare up at the only visible star—the sun.

Vincent was thinking about going in to check on Tifa but she happened to come out the door at that moment…and with two other people in tow.

"Look what degenerates I found inside," she announced and pushed them forward. With an uncharacteristic stumble from both, the others gasped at the sights of Lazard and Genesis.

Genesis cast a scathing look at Tifa before brushing himself off. "Fancy meeting you all here. We're just returning from our vacation in Costa Del Sol, isn't that right Director?"

But Lazard didn't look refreshed. In fact, neither did Genesis. If anything, both looked worse than the last time they'd seen them. Their hair was white with graying skin. And in the case of Genesis—and only Genesis, not Lazard—he now had crow's feet. The former Director didn't even make an attempt to hide his misery.

"The cells backfired," he told them to answer the unasked questions. "We felt fine for the first few days. But then, we started to regress again and faster this time."

Genesis hid his face in a hand, theatrically throwing out the other one as though to ward them off from looking at him. "Right in the middle of my beach party too...everyone ran away from us like we were monsters! People call me grandpa now! And then when I cross the street, there's always some woman older than me that's asking if I need assistance! And just this morning, someone slipped me a nursing home pamphlet, like how you'd shop for an apartment! We're nothing but old fogies to the rest of the world now."

Lazard grunted and cast him a look that he didn't see. Picking up the story where Genesis refused to, he told them "Sephiroth's cells weren't the cure for the Geostigma. I still have a person or two on the inside of Shinra that I can trust and they ran some tests for me. Turns out, Geostigma is partially _made _from Jenova's cells. I figured that even with that being the case, an antibiotic could be made. But…that won't work for this. Nobody can think of a cure and any cure that could be made would take too long. I had estimated I wouldn't last the year…and looks like I was right."

Genesis sniffled. Sephiroth sniffled too, his green-gold eyes filling with tears. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry," he told his old friend.

At that moment, Aerith's pocket gave a pulse, causing a large ripple down to her feet. She froze in fear, clutching her hands around her body as though she had to hold herself together lest she shake apart. However, when it happened a second time, she gripped the hem of her dress in her hand, ready to throw it off if that's what it took.

"I think I like where this is going," Cid muttered.

"Pervert!" Yuffie screamed, swinging harmless fists at him.

"This game was created by Japan, there has to be one," Cid shrugged her off.

But with much coaxing from Zack, Aerith let herself go and dug into her pocket to see what was reacting so violently. It turned out to be the translucent materia given by Yuffie. "What's wrong with the water materia?" she wondered to herself.

"How many times do I have to say that there's no such thing as a water materia?" Zack yelled, but a look from Aerith caused him to quickly lower his tone. "I mean…I know it seems likely that there should be one if we have materia for electricity, earth, ice and fire but there isn't one. That being said, it does contain water properties so—"

"It's a water materia," Aerith simplified, not caring about the finer details.

"More specifically, it's called Holy," Barret announced suddenly. Everyone turned to look at him and even he looked surprised that he knew that. "I remember mentioning that weird materia when we were in Cosmo Canyon. One of the people there told me about it but said it was just a myth, that only the Ancients could ever use it. Well…until just recently, I thought all the Ancients were dead but lookie who we have here in front of us."

"Holy has immense healing powers that were thought to have been lost forever," Lazard added, looking hopefully at the materia. "Kind of wished you had've mentioned this knowledge when we first met…would've saved us some agony."

"And how was I to remember all of that?" Barret defended himself. "I was stoned half the time I was there! Hell, by the next morning, I wasn't even sure we'd had the conversation! Some funky little materia wasn't really all that important, especially if the only people that could use it belonged to some dead and forgotten race."

"…that kinda hurt, Barret," Aerith informed him.

"My bad."

Genesis strode forward and clasped his hands around Aerith's. "_Onegai shimasu! _Please, I'm too young to die old! And my Japanese speech impediment is starting to get worse! I now keep asking random people if they've heard of Yellow Fried Chickenz. _I _don't even know what the hell a yellow fried chicken is, or if that's really just a chocobo! You're our last hope. If you really are an Ancient, please…be kind enough to save two fools."

Put on the spot, Aerith meekly nodded. She'd never used materia before but went back to the simple basics of what materia was. It was condensed mako. Mako came from the earth. And what minimal information she'd gathered thus far about Ancients seemed to suggest that they were the guardians on the earth.

The Holy in her hands began to bubble before bursting a geyser of water twenty feet in the air. She squeaked and dropped the materia but it didn't decrease in force. Lazard and Genesis stood under the spout, enamored with the green vapors that left their skin as finally, the Geostigma was cured. The gray was chased away by their proper colors in which Genesis gratefully plucked a genuine red hair from his head (no L'Oreal necessary) and smiled. He looked at Aerith and nodded. "_Arigatou, gozaimasu. _And this time, I actually know what that means."

"So, now what are you two going to do?" Zack asked them as the last streams of Holy stopped and the materia became quiet again. "No offense, but neither of you have reputable reputations anymore."

Lazard grinned brightly and said, "We were thinking we could join you!"

A collective "NO!" was shouted back.

"…it was a joke," Lazard said, but even so, it stung. "But seriously…I think I want to become an accountant. It'll never be as glorious as being the Director of SOLDIER but that's fine with me."

Unabashedly, Genesis announced, "I want to be an exotic dancer."

At the lack of any protest, he became appalled. "Wait, you guys really think I'm that vain? Wow, I must really act like a dick!"

"…ya think?" Tifa muttered and even Vincent snorted.

To gain lost ground, Genesis drew himself up proudly and announced, "I'm actually going to use the fortune I inherited upon the departure of my poor parents death to rebuild Banora. And Shinra saved me the trouble of kicking out all the poor people that lived there. I've always wanted to make it into an exclusive community. Between the Banora White Company and real estate, I foresee myself retiring at twenty-seven."

With that, he gave a wave to them before unfurling the remaining wing and taking to the sky.

Lazard looked on enviously. "I wasn't born with Jenova cells like him so the Holy removed the Angeal cells within me. Shame…flying was so much more convenient." Digging a hand in his pocket, he found his usual white gloves and casually slipped them on. "So Zack, did you ever accomplish your dream of becoming a hero?"

Zack shook his head and held his hands up. "Not for me to answer. Besides…I don't think there's a defining moment where you can say 'I'm a hero.' It's something that's just _there_."

Lazard examined him thoughtfully for a moment before throwing back his head and laughing. As he walked past him, he briefly clapped a hand on his shoulder. "I still say that unattainable dreams are the best kind."

Zack grinned back and watched his former boss leave. It'd be the last time he'd ever see him in person.

"We have something we need to finish here," Vincent reminded them, already beginning to lead the group again. "Tifa announced that the person we're looking for is indeed in this town."

"You gonna tell us who that is?" Cloud attempted to ask.

Vincent opened his mouth as though he was about to say but suddenly Zack yelled, "So he finally did it!" and pointed to a building within the busy shopping quarters. There, a shop was tucked between a clothing outlet and a grocery store boasting _Kunsel's Best Tech. _Zack remembered that Kunsel had never fit in within SOLDIER. He probably could've made a decent Turk what with his computer hacking skills but that would've been as far as it would've gotten. He was happy to see his friend had realized his own dream. And with people desperately wanting to get away from everything Shinra, they were more than willing to take a chance on the new guy.

"Kunsel was my roommate in SOLDIER," Zack explained. "I'd forgotten that he'd said he was from Kalm."

Kunsel's modest tech shop would soon morph into the mega corporation, Best Buy, which would then help play a part into the eventual bankruptcy of Circuit City.

The stores soon turned into suburban houses on the outskirts and the area grew quiet. Reading from a piece of paper, Vincent anxiously scanned each house until it'd seemed he'd found the one he was looking for. With a powerful gust, he took to the sky all to perch on a home, wrapping his wings around him and crouching down.

"You may go in without me," he said quietly, burying his face in feathers.

"You're the one that knows this person," Tifa pointed out, looking at the home nervously. Any minute, someone would likely open the door and wonder who the hell all these people were in their front yard.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say he's _shyyy!_" Yuffie cooed.

Vincent's red eyes only blinked back.

"I think you're right!" Aerith added, putting her hands behind her back and smiling up at Vincent. "C'mon, Vincent! No need to be shy. And if you want some privacy, we'll even go away and wait."

"_Do not _leave me here!" He growled, but it fell short as his voice uncharacteristically rose in pitch. Nervousness wasn't an emotion he was used to.

Ignoring the others, Cid strode up to the front door of the house and rang the bell. "We ain't come all this way for you to get cold feet. If this person is supposed to be our last hope then we're throwin' everything we have at 'em. Because win or lose, this is the last stop that Cid Highwind is traveling with _that." _And he pointed at Sephiroth.

"I have a name," Sephiroth informed him but at that moment, the door opened.

They were met with an older woman nearing her mid-fifties. It seemed they'd interrupted her in the middle of cooking as she had an apron on and was taking off an oven mitt. "Is there something I can do to help you?" she asked them, genuine concern on her face, as though wondering if perhaps they were travelers down on their luck.

"Uh…" Tifa stammered, and inadvertently looked up back at the roof.

In a flurry of red and black, Vincent jumped down onto the porch. The woman screamed but he quickly put a hand over her mouth and almost roughly backed her into the entranceway. The others filed in as well, closing the door to avoid a scene.

The woman hysterically fought Vincent and he'd give her some credit that she would've bested him had he not been genetically enhanced. Her nails scratching his face hurt like hell. But his wounds healed within seconds and soon enough, she'd tired herself out. Slumping back against the wall, she stared up at him and trembled.

"Lucrecia, it's me," Vincent told her, not removing his hand just yet. "Don't you remember me? Think hard."

With wide eyes, she slowly nodded. He nodded back, sighing. He took his hand away and waited on her next move.

She only put her hands over her eyes and slumped helplessly to the ground. "I couldn't forget you even if I wanted to. And trust me…I wanted to. More than once, I wanted to go back to Shinra and have my memories erased. But I told myself I was done with Shinra after what they'd done…to you. And to…"

Her breath hitched as she slowly wrapped her arms protectively around her middle. "It was all on the same day…your death, Vincent, and his birth. To keep you from interfering in the experiment, Hojo transformed you. I could never forgive him after that. And I could never forgive myself for giving my only child to him. For even _having _my child with him."

Vincent's face twitched but he swallowed his equal disgust. "At the time, you thought that what you were doing was bettering science," he said and he wasn't sure if he was trying to comfort her with that statement.

Clearly, she didn't think so, giving a harsh laugh. "That's no excuse. Dating Hojo was the worst mistake of my life."

"Ew, they actually _dated_," Cloud breathed to Zack, who also shuddered.

Suddenly though, Lucrecia sat up, pulling herself to her feet again. "Vincent, who are all of these people? Do they work for Shinra?" She took a step back, as though getting ready to run.

Vincent reached out a hand, taking one of hers in his. "Each of their backgrounds relates to Shinra, but none of them are employed by Shinra now. But…there's one person here that I'm sure would want to meet you. And I'm going to apologize now that I didn't write ahead to warn you that I was arriving but I think you'd need to see it to believe it."

He stepped out of the way as did everyone else, finally revealing the silent Sephiroth that'd been hiding since they'd come in. He pulled self-consciously on the end of his shirt before nervously sticking his hands in his pocket. Then realizing that some form of gentility was expected, he struggled to pull a hand back out all to give a feeble wave and a muttered "Hey."

But it was almost too much for Lucrecia. She put both hands over her face and burst into tears, breaking away to run somewhere further into the house.

"…did I do something wrong?" Sephiroth asked.

"Let's give her a moment," Vincent suggested and led them down the hallway and into the living room.

Eventually, Lucrecia emerged from somewhere else and sat with them, dabbing her eyes with a tissue. She didn't look at Sephiroth, instead addressing Vincent again. "Why did you bring him here?"

"I'll go if you have a problem with me," Sephiroth snapped and made to leave. "Who the hell is this old bag anyways?"

Without looking away from Lucrecia, Vincent informed, "Your mother."

This caught his attention. He slowly sat back down again and leaned forward in his seat, squinting at the woman before deciding "I look nothing like her."

"I'd consider that a blessing," she told him quietly. "Be glad that you don't look like your pathetic biological parents."

Sephiroth mulled that statement over before something occurred to him and this time, he really did want to run if his conclusion was correct. "Are you telling me…that you…and Hojo…" And then suddenly, he switched tact and yelled "What'd you even see in him?!"

Lucrecia shook her head and buried her face in her arms. Sephiroth could care less if it hurt her to go back down that memory lane. He'd had his share of bad memories too, she could join the club. Right now, he needed answers.

"I saw…revolution," she said and had it not come out with a bitter laugh, he would've thought she still believed in that vision. "Hojo had wanted to prove himself worthy of being the head of the Science Department. It sounds pathetic now, but studying under him was an honor. You don't have to forgive me for being infatuated with my idol. But when he picked me to be the catalyst of his project, it was more than I could've ever hoped for. I could see the accolades decorating my walls, the headlines in the newspapers. I was going to be part of something _big_. People were going to take notice of me."

She took her face out of her hands and looked up at Sephiroth, truly looked at him. "Everything changed after I became pregnant. I honestly thought there was something between Hojo and I—"

She ignored the gags that followed this statement and Cloud's interruption of "_Not _interested!"

"When he told me to be careful of over-exerting myself, I thought he was concerned for my well-being. But the only thing he ever cared about was his precious specimen. This became most apparent a few days before your birth, Sephiroth."

Sitting up straighter, she looked over to Vincent, who had taken up a spot against a wall. His profile read that he was calm, keeping his arms and legs crossed as he leaned against the wall, but he'd buried his face in his collar, making only his eyes visible. "You tried to warn me," she told him and he gave a grunt that might've been an agreement. "You tried to show me how naïve I was being. At that time, you and only you had Sephiroth's best interests at heart. By the time I'd come to realize what I was doing, it was too late. Hojo had forced you to become another side experiment to keep you out of the way. And then…Sephiroth was born."

"Oh joy," Sephiroth deadpanned. "And what a beautiful little bundle I was."

"You were," she told him without the sarcasm and he frowned at her, not expecting her to give a comment on the matter. "You looked like…_her_. Like Jenova. You look nothing like either Hojo or myself. But yes, you were beautiful. You still are."

Sephiroth blushed and looked away. "…thanks?"

She smiled kindly up at him, but it quickly faded as she continued. "I didn't even get to name you. At least, not fully on my own. I had a few names in mind, and while 'Sephiroth' was on the list, Hojo made the official decision and reinforced it by documenting it in all of our notes. Secretly though, given my way…I would've named you Gabriel. But Hojo said that there was already a Project G underway. So…Sephiroth it was."

Sephiroth would never, ever admit it but it was maybe the one thing to be thankful to Hojo for. He enjoyed the uniqueness of his name, which was so entirely his own, he didn't even need a last name. Besides, he couldn't see himself slaughtering people on the battlefield with the angelic name _Gabriel. _He wasn't a religious man, but it just seemed wrong.

Then again, somehow Angeal had managed it.

It was without warning that she got up and came over to him, her eyes flitting over him anxiously. She finally settled for staring him in the eyes, something he'd had to learn to get over quickly, both due to his position and to satisfy human curiosity. "I also never held you," she informed him. "Never spoke a single word to you until this moment. After everything that happened though, I didn't feel like I should be your mother anyways. I quit Shinra immediately afterwards and have been living here for over twenty years. To everyone else, I'm a childless widow who makes a modest living off her baking. I've told that lie for so long, sometimes I could almost believe it. But then a new story about something at Shinra would hit the papers and I'd come back to reality."

Sephiroth didn't know what to say to any of this, but thankfully Vincent spoke for him. "We've lived in the past too long, Lucrecia. I, by thinking I could simply live in the darkness to bear my sin of not being able to save you. You, by being constantly reminded of the child you gave to science. And Sephiroth…well, by his entire existence. We've all been consumed by this regret and it's impaired all of our lives."

"Dilly-dally, shilly-shally," Tifa told them and everyone jerked to stare at her as though she'd spoken a new language. For all they knew, maybe she had.

"And that means…?" Zack asked her.

"_Dilly-dally, shilly-shally!" _she said vehemently and they actually flinched back. "Don't you think it's time that you did the forgiving?"

Vincent was the first to get it and smiled his thanks. "I think she means that we need to get over our pity-party and learn to move on. Being with them—" he gestured to his trustee comrades—"I've learned that I don't have to handle everything on my own. No man can. Sephiroth's had a major breakthrough, but now lives without a clear purpose. I think you two could heal each other."

Mother and son stared at each other, turning the question over. "I'm a little old to be moving in with my mother, huh?" Sephiroth said but with no malice. It'd seemed that they'd crossed that bridge.

Lucrecia instead did something she'd wanted to do over for over twenty years. She pulled him into her and hugged him. Not the stiff hug of a stranger, but a deep embrace, pulling his head down so that he could lean against her shoulder and rocked him gently. Unknowingly to her, it was a first for both of them; Sephiroth had never been hugged.

"You're never too old for family," she whispered in his ear softly, stroking his hair. He took advantage of the shoulder to bury his face either to cry or from embarrassment. Maybe both.

While still holding him, she smiled at Vincent and mouthed "Thank you."

He nodded back to her and quietly gestured for the others to follow him out the house. Zack paused and wondered if they should say their goodbyes but he didn't want to break up the bonding moment. Besides, it was a good image to go out on.

But Zack realized that now that he'd fulfilled his goal, he too lacked a clear purpose. Everyone had been fixated on helping Sephiroth but now what? Zack had started this entire adventure with the desire to become a mercenary and the motto "do whatever, whenever, for the right price." Aerith certainly wasn't clingy but she wasn't going to accept him traveling all over the globe for random assignments, some of which might be of questionable legality. Some day (and maybe not in a distant future either), he'd likely have children. It would be imperative that he stuck closer to home.

Yeah…home.

"Want to meet my parents?" he suddenly asked Aerith.

"Did you even have to ask?" she said, nudging him playfully. "And I want to meet baby Zack. Let's see what makes him oh so fearsome."

He smiled, knowing his parents were going to do cartwheels when he brought her home. "So Cloud, what's next for you?" he asked his longest companion. Cloud still had the freedom to become a mercenary if he wanted.

But instead, Cloud announced, "I'm really looking to start up that delivery business I told you about. I know it sounds stupid, but people are getting scared to travel between cities with the increase of monsters. I have a bike I stole from Shinra a few years back that I stashed in a garage. That'll give me a set of wheels to get started. "

"If you'd like, I'm looking to start my own Seventh Heaven bar," Tifa told him. "Until both of us get fully on our feet, how about we run it as a double business?"

Cloud very quickly agreed, nodding deliriously at the recommendation.

"I ain't seen Marlene in weeks," Barret told them, looking off in the direction of Midgar. "Think it's about time to check on my baby. I can burn Shinra to the ground another day. I _live _in Midgar, I have all the time in the world." He looked at Aerith and held out a fist. "Tell your momma I say thank you for looking after her."

Aerith met him halfway, completing the fist-bump and ending with both of them doing a dramatic hand explosion. "No prob, you know she adores Marlene."

"Wait, you two really know each other?" Zack asked enviously.

Barret grinned and informed "Aerith and I go _way _back. Anyone that lives in the Slums knows Aerith."

She smiled modestly and gave a curtsey. And Zack could only seethe.

Cid chewed thoughtfully for a moment on a toothpick before hooking his thumbs on his belt loop and staring wistfully out in the distance. "Guess I could head home. I mean, I still ain't giving up on my mission to get rid of Sephiroth," he said with noconviction. "But I guess I can wait a little longer on that. Create that air cruise line I've been talkin' about…"

Vincent had been staring back in the direction of Lucrecia's house, seemingly not listening. He pulled out of his trance with a sigh before muttering something under his breath.

"Care to share?" Yuffie asked casually.

"I said, I want to get laid," Vincent said louder. Yuffie squealed and ran away (which is surprising given her initial disposition), and Vincent only shrugged. "You try sleeping for twenty-seven years and tell me how _you'd _feel."

All could only nod and agree.

"Yeah, well I say all of you guys are lame!" Yuffie taunted, sticking her tongue out at them…while ducking behind Tifa. "I'm going home with my loot richer than all of you! Then I'm going to continue my reign of terror. I'll expand my piracy campaign across all the seven seas! They shall fear my power! One Piece has nothing on me!"

The same old.

With a final trade of phone numbers and goodbyes, they each headed their separate ways. Cid back to Rocket Town. Barret back to Midgar. Tifa and Cloud to a rather new city called Edge. Yuffie back to Wutai. Vincent to wherever it was he'd need to go to get laid.

And Zack and Aerith resigned themselves to the long ride back to Gongaga. It'd come to be that everyone would meet once a year…or more, if the world just so happened to require saving. It was a long and thankless job but someone had to do it.

But that would be later. For now, Zack pointed their stead back west and together they rode their chocobo gloriously off into the sunset.

* * *

><p>I have this image in my head of Sephiroth with his hair tied back and wearing an apron, using a rolling pin as he assists his mother with baking ^_^<p> 


	25. Fulfilled Desire

This notice here will likely eventually be deleted but I'll keep it up for the time being :)

Initially after finishing the previous chapter, I wasn't satisfied with the ending and thus I started to write this. After a recent reread of the last few chapters, I'm not as discontent with them as I was at first but it still could use a little something extra. As this continues where the previous one left off, I suppose this can be seen as an epilogue.

But enough of that! Have a read for yourself.

* * *

><p><strong>Fulfilled Desire<strong>

"I sent an invitation," Aerith said for what had to have been the twentieth time. "I really hope they got it."

"Considering I was forced to help you write the invitations," Yuffie told her, adjusting Aerith's veil for what also had to be the twentieth time, "and I double checked and triple checked that the address was correct, I'm pretty sure that they got it. Unless…Google Maps was wrong."

Aerith jerked her head up from her absent staring at her bouquet. "You used Google Maps to write my wedding invitations?!"

Yuffie quickly took a step back. "Uhh…see what had happened was—"

Coming to the rescue, Tifa cut in, "We used the Street View to make sure the locations were correct! That's what she meant by we checked and we double checked. Don't worry Aerith, Sephiroth and Lucrecia will be here."

Aerith nodded, but didn't seem to believe her. "I hope so. After everything everyone went through just to find Sephiroth, he deserves to be in the wedding. I don't even care if he's recognized. But Zack never stopped looking up to him and I know how much he wants this. Angeal's dead and Genesis…well, he certainly wasn't an idol but he was invited and is out there somewhere," she said, vaguely gesturing to the rest of the church where everyone was seated.

They'd taken a risk and had opted to hold their wedding in the now previously run-down church in the Slums. Their hope was that Shinra wouldn't take any notice to the goings-on under the plate and even if they did see Aerith or Zack…would they really waste their time to try to kill him _again_? Or try to capture her once more? With any luck, Shinra had better things to do.

In terms of the wedding location, the church would never again be used to hold service but they'd managed to make it passable for a wedding. The biggest detail that Aerith adamantly refused to have changed were the flowers standing in place of an altar. And as Midgar suffered from a botanical deficiency, nobody dared to contest that request.

Tifa checked the clock and looked nervously over at Yuffie, who both looked at Aerith. "It's almost time. They're going to be starting the music soon. I'm still pissed though that you made me walk down the aisle with Barret, of all people."

An outright evil smirk cracked Aerith's face. "He's sweet on you. Indulge him a little."

"Had Sephiroth been here, would I have walked with him instead of Cid?" Yuffie asked hopefully.

"No," Aerith said, and her smile began to fade. "He would've walked me down the aisle. But since he's not coming…"

Just then, Aerith's mother, Elmyra, brushed through the door and into the small area they'd transformed as a dressing room. Initially, she'd been shooed away for fussing over Aerith and making her even more nervous than she already was. And as though to further prove this, she instinctively began to reach out an arm to adjust the already adjusted veil, but slowly she put her hands back down and clasped them to keep them still.

"Looks like just about everyone is here," she said from where she stood, smiling behind Aerith as she stared at her reflection in the full mirror. "I spoke with the best man, Cloud, since you made your own mother the maid of honor and we're to walk together. He's quite handsome, but why is he so sullen?"

All three girls giggled, and Tifa said, "That's just Cloud. He's always kinda emo."

Elmyra actually snorted. "I know enough of the young generation's lingo to agree on that statement."

At that moment, the beginning notes of Pachelbel's _Canon_ began, signaling the start of the procession. Tifa and Yuffie left out to take their places but Elmyra hung back. "Sweetie, I know you were looking forward to him coming. If you want, I'll be happy to walk with you instead of with gloomy Cloud. You're my daughter, you come first."

Aerith turned from the mirror to face her and managed to force her muscles to make another smile. "No, it's fine. Besides, it's too late to change the order up now. It's what, twenty steps? I can manage it. Besides, the whole 'giving your daughter away' thing is kinda old fashioned anyways," she laughed but it didn't even take a mother's intuition to tell that the feeling didn't quite reach her eyes.

Elmyra took her daughter into a hug and rubbed her back, also taking the chance to straighten that damnable veil. "I just want you to be happy, Aerith. I know having him here would be the icing on the cake, but don't let his absence completely ruin this day for you. This day is about you and Zack; focus on him. Which, may I congratulate you again on bagging such a hottie," she said and winked.

"Mom!" Aerith yelled but Elmyra had already slipped through the door, laughing all the way.

Aerith took a deep breath and was about to also walk out the door when she heard two quiet taps. The door creaked open slowly until Zack's face could be seen. He had his eyes closed though and turned himself to where he could lean casually against the doorframe.

"Just wanted to check in and make sure you were okay," he said quietly, still not looking at her. Yes, Zack believed in the age-old custom of not viewing the bride before the ceremony. "The bridesmaids are whispering about you missing Seph not being here. Do you…still want to go through with this? We can postpone if you want."

Now it was Aerith's turn to snort and she informed him, "A little late for all of that. And pretty selfish too. He's more or less your friend even if he and I are somewhat linked by our ancestry. No, I'm not going to bail on you, if that's what you were worried about."

Zack nodded. "If I'm going to be honest, I was. In which I'd have to kick Sephiroth's ass. Actually, I'm still going to kick his ass because we sent him his invitation three months ago and another two weeks ago. It's fine if he didn't want to be in the wedding but he should've at least replied if he was coming at all or not." Zack paused for a moment and tilted his head back thoughtfully. "Unless…something's happened to him and he can't reply back. He and Lucrecia…"

Aerith walked over and nudged him. "Stop that. I'm actually getting a bit tired of talking about him. As I learned during my ten minute stint as a burlesque dancer at the Gold Saucer, the show must go on. So, you get out there and take your position. And I…will meet you at the altar."

Zack smiled and squeezed her hand before taking his leave.

Taking a few deep breaths, she finally stepped out as well. The hallway was packed with last minute arrivals scurrying to find seats and the untidy cluster of those that were to walk down the aisle. She saw more than once Cloud throwing pleading eyes at her to somehow get him out of being the best man but she ignored his silent cries.

Already leading the way was Barret's daughter, Marlene, who wore a frilly pink dress, the color of choice for the wedding. The bridesmaids wore a similar shade as a tribute to the pink ribbon given to Aerith by Zack on the first day they met. As she walked, Marlene was heartily throwing flowers from a basket. She seemed to treat it more like confetti though, as she threw them more or less _at _people where only then would they flutter to the ground.

Trying for false bravado, Cloud held out an arm and Elmyra graciously took it and the two began walking together…with Elmyra all but pulling for Cloud to follow.

Next, Barret attempted to do the same for Tifa, who was more willing to take his arm but muttered loudly, "Try any funny business and I'll castrate you in front of your daughter."

"Good thing I already had her then, huh?" he replied and Tifa growled in place of a good comeback.

The last to go were Yuffie and Cid. Vincent was initially going to also be a groomsman and would have walked with Lucrecia but once it became apparent that she wouldn't be coming, Vincent was more than happy to relinquish his role in the spotlight.

However, right before Aerith was to begin her wedding march, a new person appeared at her side, silent as a shadow. Tseng.

"Since the great former General couldn't be here, mind if I take his place?" he asked. "Zack never wanted to believe me but I've always said that Turks were better than SOLDIERS."

She punched him gently on the shoulder before looping his arm through hers. "Don't let him hear you say that today. It'd ruin his ego." And just as the song was reaching the crescendo, she debuted her appearance.

Ten minutes later, she was officially known as Mrs. Aerith Fair.

~.~.~

If Zack smiled one more time, his face would break. He'd spent hours making rounds and posing for everyone with Aerith. His protests to wait until the wedding pictures were developed went unheeded as everyone wanted to bring their own cameras. So thus he'd smiled. He laughed. He danced. And now that the party was finally winding down, Zack was ready to tell everyone to kindly leave him the fuck alone.

Thankfully, most seemed to be quite funned-out as well and were starting to go home. Tifa had caught the bouquet tossed by Aerith and since then hadn't let go of Cloud. She was now latched on to him as they waved their goodbyes to catch a late plane back to Edge. Most of the others were staying at hotels for the evening before departing Midgar. Aerith and Zack had decided to do the same as they were planning to leave early in the morning for a honeymoon in Costa del Sol.

Zack had intended to spend the last moments of the evening with some quiet time for his family to see them off but noticed a rather obvious shadow standing in the corner. At first he thought it might've been Vincent; some of his female cousins had been eyeing him and he'd taken to his old habits of sleuthing off. However, upon closer look, Zack realized it was Tseng. Sadly, even in a suit-and-tie event as a wedding, somehow the Turk outfit still stuck out.

Or maybe that was just Turks in general. Zack had been notified multiple times throughout the day about possible suspicious characters at his wedding and had to assure his mother or his father that yes, Rude indeed was an invited guest, even if he did keep one hand inside his jacket in case he had to fire. Or to please excuse Cissnei's constant questions about personal matters as her curiosity could often come off more like an interrogation.

Tseng clearly wanted to talk and he met Zack and Aerith outside once they were finally permitted to leave. The streets were now empty and primarily dark as the sun had not only gone down but the night sky was also blocked by the plate. This wasn't enough for Tseng though; he pulled both of them further into the shadows of the church and leaned in close.

His first words were: "I know where Sephiroth is."

Zack, having been a SOLDIER for many years and Aerith, having spent some of her childhood within Shinra, didn't take the ominous bait which was a trademark of the Turks. Thus it was Aerith who answered him first, saying "Yeah, we're the ones who dropped him off with his mother. They're in Kalm."

The Turk shook his head. "No, they're not. They're at a recovery facility in Mideel."

They waited for him to continue but it seemed two (or in this case, three) knew how to play this game. With a weary sigh that almost killed him, Zack asked, "And are you going to tell us _why _they're at a recovery facility in Mideel?"

Tseng didn't even try to hide his superior smile. "It seems Sephiroth couldn't cope with regular society. His mother started to notice increased agitation just a few weeks after he returned home. It started with nightmares but by the end of three months, Sephiroth had more or less returned back to his mental state post-Niebelheim."

Zack ventured, "Eating out of trash cans and barking like a dog?"

"Wait, that really happened?"

Aerith and Zack nodded.

"Damnit, I missed it!" But catching himself, Tseng cleared his throat. "I truly do wish it were something so simple. Sephiroth attacked Lucrecia. The neighbors heard the commotion in the house when it happened and called the police and it was more or less confirmed by the marks on her neck. Lucrecia refused to file charges on her son but Sephiroth has a court order now to stay in rehab until he's deemed 'socially fit'."

Zack groaned and found himself slumping to the curb. "I thought we were past all of that. He let Aerith live. I thought he was pulling a "master of my own destiny" move and wasn't going to let Jenova win. "

Aerith crouched down in front of him, still in her white dress. She put a hand on his shoulder and he reacted by putting his on hers but didn't remove it. "Some people's demons are stronger than others. Let's be real, could we truly have expected someone with a history of delusional behavior and paranoia to really be absolutely fine with no medical help? Even before that, Sephiroth's only home had been Shinra. He'd never so much as taken a stroll without the consent of Hojo or Lazarus or the President of the company. I'm kinda impressed that he lasted as long as he did," she mused to herself.

Tseng cleared his throat to get their attention and then held up two rectangular pieces of paper. "I have plane tickets to Mideel if you wish to see him. The flight leaves in two hours."

Without needing to be told twice, Aerith automatically began to reach for them but Zack grabbed her and pulled back. His head was still ducked between hunched shoulders from where he sat and his body had begun to shake. For his pride's sake, Aerith hoped he wasn't crying. Tseng would get a kick out of it later.

Instead though, Zack's voice came between clenched teeth in an uncharacteristic moment of fury. "We're not going. We have a honeymoon planned. Why should we drop everything just because Sephiroth doesn't know how to control himself? Besides, Lucrecia's a doctor and his family." He lifted his eyes and spoke directly to Aerith. "I'm tired of cleaning up after him! He's not our child. If this is how he wants to act after everything we've been through, then I say good riddance. We're better instead cutting out this festering infection as there is no cure for it. We've helped Sephiroth enough. I just don't have the strength to do it anymore."

For being yelled at, it was Aerith that was crying, which made Zack feel like the lowest creature on earth for making his wife cry on their wedding day and not in happiness. But he meant it. He just couldn't see himself going on one more whirlwind adventure for Sephiroth. He'd had his hopes for him but it was clear that he would never be society's definition of normal. Or any variation thereof.

Tseng seemed to be siding with Aerith as he clicked his tongue in impatience. Balling up his fist which held the tickets, he reached down and forcefully snatched Zack forward by his tie.

"That's enough of that! 'Boo-hoo, Sephiroth wasn't cured in a day! I wasn't the big hero I thought I was!' How much more full of yourself can you get? For your information, some people get their strength from their friends. Lucrecia might be his mother but he's known her for six months. He's known _you _for years. Blood isn't always thicker. But fine, don't go see him. See if I care. I'll use the tickets myself. He needs all the support he can get and I'm going to do whatever it takes to make sure whatever he was before doesn't come back. Have fun on your honeymoon."

He walked away while Aerith, still crying, futilely attempted to call him back. Zack punched the ground next to him, forcing himself not to flinch. In fact, it was because it hurt that he did it again and again. How the hell had things dissolved so quickly? Were they not laughing five minutes ago? He looked up at his wife who was using the pink ribbon he'd given her to dry her eyes.

_Does not wanting to go really make me a horrible person? Sephiroth's hurt so many people…and initially, I forgave him. Even his murders I forgave because it wasn't his fault and I thought he could change. I thought he'd mastered Jenova. But Aerith's right…it's going to take longer than six months to fix everything. Am I giving up too soon? Or can anyone else see my justification in wanting to protect myself from being hurt yet again by someone I trusted? _

_Happy endings are so fucking overrated. _

"Hey. Please stop crying," he croaked, wiping his own eyes with a sleeve. "We'll go." Then he tucked up a corner of his mouth in what was more of a grimace than a smile. "So much for the money spent on the Costa del Sol reservation, though."

Aerith knelt beside him again, pulling him close in that way that only she had permission to do so. "As long as we notify them twenty-four hours ahead of time, we can get a refund. Mideel is also known for having beach-side spa resorts. We'll have our honeymoon there instead. Oh, and Zack? Thank you. I know you only said what you did because you were protecting your heart."

_She didn't have to say it like that,_ Zack groaned. Once they'd broken away, he got up and pulled her with him. Together, they both quickly ran down the street to find Tseng and accept the tickets.

Again with that knowing smile, the Turk handed them over and within another hour, they had boarded their flight and were on their way.

~.~.~

As Zack had been to Costa del Sol once before, he knew of its beauty. Now multiply that by a hundred. That was Mideel. It didn't spell "family fun in the sun." Instead, this was the get-away preference for corporations and host of designer labels. In short, clearly financing wasn't an obligation to Lucrecia when it came to caring for her son.

The location wasn't all. The hospital itself was prestigious, many ex-Shinra doctors making their home there afterwards. The care regimen was medical where it needed to be but no more. In fact, Zack wasn't quite sure they'd entered a hospital at first. Pots of large, tropical plants greeted them past the doors with one section off to the side where patients were receiving massages and another section adjacent to that with a communal hot tub. The room was filled with perfumed steam that instantly relaxed him.

Fighting off the haze, he and Aerith made their way to a reception desk. While it was placed right in the middle of the room, the desk was painted white, just like the spotless tile and the perfect walls to where it blended in. The nurse behind the desk wore a white dress—not a nurse's uniform—and smiled at them with teeth that were clearly bleached.

"Hello! Welcome to Mideel Recovery Spa! What can I do to help you lovely couple?"

Zack blinked stupidly several times before he could get out, "We're here to see someone."

"Oh, great! I'll be more than happy to assist you! What's their name?" The woman poised her manicured nails above the keyboard, ready to type.

"Erm, Sephiroth…Sephiroth, um…" Zack figured having his first name was enough but the woman was waiting for the rest.

"Crescent," Aerith supplied, giving Lucrecia's last name. "It's probably under Sephiroth Crescent."

"Sure thing!" the woman happily babbled and began her search. In two seconds, she'd pulled up the information. "Sephiroth Crescent, room 705. Are you family or friends?"

Zack could tell that Aerith wanted to lie and say family but Zack didn't want to back themselves into a corner they wouldn't be able to get out of later. He answered honestly and said, "Friends."

"Awesome!" she cheered, laying on the full customer service persona. "Here's a keycard for his room. It's only good for two hours though as we don't like to tire our patients out with a constant stream of visitors. If you'll step this way, you'll see a concierge who'll be more than happy to help take you up to his room. Bye-bye and I'll see you when you return back!"

They followed where she'd pointed which led to the elevators. Standing outside of them was a young man, dressed in white slacks with a white shirt that clung to his body and defined every muscle that he'd worked for, no doubt taking full advantage of the employee access to the gym. While his long, sandy-blonde hair fell casually to his shoulders, even that simple style looked expensive. He gave them another bleach bright smile and ushered them into the elevator.

On the ride up, the man began going over all the various popular locales that they could check out afterwards. Maybe it was just Zack, but he found it a bit awkward that here they were, visiting a mentally sick person and yet being encouraged to go parasailing afterwards.

Well, it _was _Aerith's idea to vacation here.

The elevator barely shifted as it came to a stop on the seventh floor. Their guide pleasantly led them to room 705 and gave two raps on the door before sliding his own card in to open it. He blocked their view but they could hear him call out, "Sephiroth, guess what? You have visitors!" before he threw the door open wider.

Sephiroth was sitting on his windowsill, one leg drawn up. One arm was propped while the other dangled at his side. His face was turned away and pressed against the window; his reflection looked tired but his cheeks weren't sunken and he looked well groomed. Like everyone else in the building, he was dressed in white. White pants (not sweatpants but nonetheless they were elastic) and a white shirt.

He didn't look at them.

"They tell me that they traveled all the way from Midgar to see you!" the male-model cooed. "Isn't that wonderful? I'll leave you three alone to catch up. You can press the button above the bed at any time if you need anything, but remember, you only have two hours. Bye-bye!" he gushed and took his leave.

Still without turning around, Sephiroth said "Hello, Aerith and Zack." And no, Zack didn't miss that he'd said hello to her first.

As though hearing this thought out loud, Sephiroth added, "I knew you were here the moment you walked inside. Jenova is still attuned to the Ancients."

Aerith gave a small smile that wasn't attributed to flattery. "I see. But Sephiroth, where's Lucrecia? I expected to find her here."

At last, he turned around to greet them properly but they were met with green eyes flecked gold that were just a shade too bright for Sephiroth's normal appearance. He blinked twice in amusement and they flinched back. "But surely you _must _know the conditions on which I'm here? I strangled Lucrecia. She's in recovery too! But not here. She's back in Kalm. She threw all her money at this place, figuring that the sea would make me better or some other bullshit like that."

"But," and he leaned forward, his smile showing wolfish canines, "I know she really put me here because she can't stand the sight of me. She says she forgives me and still loves me, and I guess she figured the money could do the talking for her. That said, I'm not a completely ungrateful child," Sephiroth shrugged. "The view indeed is beautiful and I'm treated more like a movie star rather than a deranged psychopath. Not bad for a mother's love."

Zack opened his mouth to protest but he could tell that the discussion was closed. Once upon a time, he would've given a spiel about giving people the benefit of the doubt, how he refused to believe that any mother could be so heartless. But he'd long ago given up those naïve thoughts. Instead, he lamely said, "We missed you at the wedding."

A glance at their rings and then back out the window. "So you two finally did it. I hope you'll forgive me saying but even if I were free to leave this place, I wouldn't have gone. I don't do weddings."

"And now he tells us, "Aerith tried for a joke.

"Why are you _really _here?" Sephiroth interrupted. "To save me from myself?"

An attempt at something witty failed on Zack's lips and he found himself nodding. "Yeah, something like that." Then he paused before adding, "Don't have to be such a dick about it. Excuse us for caring." He figured he'd keep it to himself just how close he had been to not coming.

"I've already put in motion what needs to be done to ensure this doesn't happen again," Sephiroth answered and the reflected face tiredly closed its eyes. "I've sent for Hojo."

"_What?!_" Aerith and Zack both screamed, causing Sephiroth to wince.

Walking up to him, Zack roughly grabbed his shoulder and shook him. "Wasn't the point to stay away from Hojo? And why not ask Lucrecia? She knows everything about you just like he does! Even if she's scared, I'm sure at least we could help to convince her." At least, Zack hoped they would've been able to…

But Sephiroth was already shaking his head. "Having the knowledge but no resources does me no good. Besides, it's not what we know—or don't know—about Jenova that's now the problem. It's clear I can't control her. She wants me to _become _her. I'm drawing the line at a sex change."

Zack remembered that the Jenova replica, Yazoo, had made a similar comment and inwardly snorted.

"Sooo…if you can't control her," Aerith began slowly, "What do you plan to do? How does Hojo tie in to this?"

Sephiroth got up finally and instead moved over to the bed. He sat down with his back to the wall and crossed his legs, looking perhaps like a participant in a yoga class. He added in a shrug and said simply, "I forfeit my Jenova cells."

Aerith only blinked. "No, but seriously, what the hell are you planning?"

He stared at her for a long moment. "I just told you. I'm giving up Jenova. Hojo will be here tomorrow to take me back to Shinra so that he can splice them out of me. And before you ask, 'won't that kill you?', I'm aware that it has a less than thirty percent chance of working. I'll take that chance."

Zack remembered how it'd felt during the ritual when his own Jenova cells were being ripped from him. He had lived, but then again, he hadn't been born with Jenova's DNA. To him, this seemed equivalent to him ripping his own mother's DNA from his body; quite impossible in his eyes.

Again, as though reading his mind, Sephiroth looked at him and said, "I, unlike most creatures, have three biological parents. I only need two. If I leave Lucrecia and Hojo's DNA intact, I should be fine."

Aerith and Zack cast each other a look that clearly read that he was over-simplifying the matter.

"If you'll excuse me," Sephiroth continued, picking up the remote and flipping through a few channels, "I'd like to be alone now. If you have any more questions, Hojo will be here tomorrow at ten."

"Aren't you worried?" Zack blurted out, unable to fully conceal his anger.

"No shit, I am," Sephiroth said, drawing up his legs to his chest and putting his head on his knees. Vulnerable Sephiroth would always make Zack uneasy as he was supposed to have been the strongest of the strong. "What I'm more scared of though is killing someone. Someone I care about. Jenova wants the head of just about everyone I know. I only barely kept her from killing Lucrecia and now look; my own mother is terrified to come near me."

He sighed and added, "I've also dreamed of killing Aerith more times than I care for. The doctors say I wake up laughing and speaking a language they don't understand. But _I _understand perfectly what I'm saying. 'I've killed the last of the Cetra. It is I who reigns supreme. Come, my son, and let us take back this planet together.'" He gave what was supposed to be taken for a chuckle but sounded more like a sob.

"I've _fantasized _about all the ways I can kill you, Aerith," he told her, his green-gold eyes locking on her green ones. Aerith swallowed but didn't move. "You don't know deranged until you wake up aroused at the idea of decapitation, dismemberment, impalement. Gouging out your eyes…torturing you by ripping off fingernails for no other reason than the sick pleasure of it. I'm honestly surprised I've not attacked you yet. A piece of that though is because Jenova is admittedly a little scared of Zack."

_Oh yeah, who's awesome? _Zack cheered, his grin splitting his face.

Aerith had paled at the laundry list of torture methods but at this final revelation, she relaxed a little bit, reaching out for Zack's hand to lead him to the door. "We'll be back tomorrow to speak with Hojo. I'm not one-hundred percent convinced on this plan. Until then…please try not to dream about dismembering me," she said and smiled at Sephiroth.

He smiled back and waved goodbye. "I'll start writing the Sandman that request right away."

~.~.~

They spent the rest of the day sight-seeing, feeling a little less guilty as at least they'd confirmed that for the time being, Sephiroth was managing. After a night's sleep in one of Mideel's five-star hotels (Zack didn't even want to look at the bill for that one), they made their way back to the recovery spa early to preempt Hojo's arrival.

However, it turned out that Hojo had preempted _them_. They found him in Sephiroth's room with four other SOLDIERs, the scientist pacing impatiently as Sephiroth packed his bags.

"Seriously, you were here for a week, how much could you have brought?" he snapped, checking his watch. "The OR is already prepped and we have some specialists coming in today to watch the operation. It takes five hours to fly back to Midgar. I want to have you ready and under anesthesia before they get there."

Sephiroth pulled himself up from where he was kneeling on the floor, holding up a lone sock. "Sure thing, _dad_. We'd hate to disappoint your science buddies, now wouldn't we?" He grunted as he fumbled to mate the lone sock with its match and instead ended up tying them both in a knot. With a dismissive shrug, he threw them into his bag and zipped it up, looking around the room one more time for anything he might've forgotten.

That's when his eyes landed on Zack and Aerith. Hojo noticed them at the same time and for the briefest moment, his eyes flickered with astonishment before he bowed his head to push back up his glasses. When he lifted his face, he'd rearranged his features. "I hadn't expected us to ever cross paths again," he chuckled, sending goosebumps down everyone's spines, the current SOLDIERs included. "It seems that everyone these days is seeking me out. First my son, now you! I'm going to assume you're here to try to stop me again?"

He smiled at them, which was worse than his laugh. Zack tried (and probably failed) to hide his repulsion. "Truthfully, that was the plan," Zack admitted, looking between the scientist and his creation…because Zack would never allow himself to acknowledge Sephiroth as his son. Pet lab rat was more fitting.

"He's going to come back, right?" Aerith asked, keeping her eyes on Sephiroth. While Sephiroth stared back, he'd spent his lifetime internalizing his emotions, thus she couldn't read his face. "You promise you'll bring him back?"

Hojo shook his head and gave them a pitying look that said, 'Oh, you poor simpletons.' Out loud he said, "Bring him back here? No. He's too mentally unstable though to ever put him back in the army. The doctors are claiming PTSD or some other crockery and Lucrecia actually had the nerve to threaten legal action if we attempt to make him fight again. However, from here on, he _will _be back under Shinra's control. Sephiroth himself has said he doesn't want to live with his mother and he never did learn the skills needed to live on his own. So," Hojo said triumphantly, "We'll reclaim guardianship of him for now."

Zack looked at Sephiroth, waiting, hoping he'd make a snarky comment. But Sephiroth looked as though he couldn't care less._ Is this what we nearly gave our lives to accomplish? _He thought. _At this point, we're right back to where we started...no, worse. Docile Sephiroth is one thing. Unquestioningly submissive Sephiroth? That's a new low. I didn't waste twenty-four chapters of my life for this! _

He actually found himself growling as he turned on him. "Aren't you going to say something? I'm aware this was your decision but c'mon, Seph! There _has _to be something else! Vincent has some kind of materia that keeps him in check. We could create something like that for you!"

"Tried, failed," Sephiroth said simply, standing up. He hefted his bag over his shoulder and instantly, the SOLDIERs flanked him. Keeping his eye on his old friend, he managed a small smile. "Trust me, I've thought of every other possible solution. This was a last-ditch effort. It's a win-win for both of us. Hojo gets his beloved Jenova cells back and I get my sanity back. And I don't have to live at Shinra _forever," _and here, he pointedly stared at the scientist, who nervously shuffled his feet. "It's just until I get the clean bill of health. Then we'll genuinely part ways and I'll never have to see him again."

Zack's growl lowered to a grunt and finally, he nodded, not seeing any other way around it.

Before anyone could stop her, Aerith threw her arms around Sephiroth. The SOLDIERs were too surprised and by the time they'd fumbled to get their guns out, she'd stepped away from him. "Bye, Seph! We'll come visit you once you're able to have visitors again." A look from Zack though made her hesitate. "Er…or, we'll have the Turks keep an eye on you for us, heh-heh…"

Sephiroth clicked his tongue but was still grinning. "Whatever. Peace," he saluted and as a tight huddle, the group moved out.

Once the sound of boots on tile had faded, Zack turned to Aerith, raising an eyebrow. "And now what?"

She thought about it for a moment before asking, "…Parasailing?"

Zack was happy to oblige.

~.~.~

Three days later, they were having dinner at Zack's parents' house. They had happily moved the couple into their home until Zack was able to make enough to live on his own. Zack had previously dreamed of being a mercenary but these days, Cloud's vision of running a delivery service was thriving much better. With horror, he foresaw himself someday becoming a courier boy.

Then again, considering he'd moved into his childhood bedroom, _something_ had to change. Quickly. His parents had taken Zackary (as Zack was finally able to coerce his parents into calling him) into their own bedroom, despite that he was almost three. Even Aerith had voiced several times of also working, which Zack found bothersome for some reason. Leave it to Aerith to point out _what _that reason was.

"I think you're upset because it hurts your male ego," she told him bluntly that evening, in front of the entire family. Zack's parents pretended not to notice and fussed with the baby to get him to eat his vegetables, which the boy would swear on his action figures were the bane of his existence.

"I think that you wanted to be the prize breadwinner of the family and now that you realize that that's not going to happen, you're disappointed." She placed a dinner roll on her plate and calmly handed the bread basket to Zack, who meekly took one without saying anything. After losing one too many debates (they never outright argued…), Zack learned it was best to let her finish before he said anything.

Continuing, she added, "I know you had the image of me being a stay at home mom with the kids, but truth is, most families have two working parents. And I'm not ready to have kids at this point anyways. Besides, you didn't mind when I was selling the flowers, why is this any different?"

Zack waited a pause to make sure that it wasn't a rhetorical question; she'd tricked him one time by doing that and then easily sliced across his response with a counter-statement. Too bad she'd never gone to an actual school as she would've made an amazing debate team captain. But after waiting fifteen seconds with no further words from her end, he meekly informed her, "Selling the flowers were cute. I thought it was just a hobby…not a real job."

She snorted. "Anything that earns money is a real job."

"What about dealing drugs?"

"ZACK!" his mother yelled, cupping his little brother's ears.

"Me Zack!" the baby informed them, squishing green beans in his fingers.

"Sorry mom," Zack told her. To his wife, he raised an eyebrow, waiting for her to answer the question.

Aerith shrugged and said, "It's not a preferable job…nor legal…but it is a job. But tell me, Zack, why can't selling flowers be a real job?"

_Aw, no, look what you've done, Zack! She's won this one…just like every other one. Just shrug like a meathead and give the mopey "I dunno" answer. You are the beta to her alpha, submit!_

"I dunno," Zack mumbled, lowering his eyes in defeat.

In which Aerith proceeded to tell him why she feels Zack feels that selling flowers cannot be a lucrative job. Aerith wasn't over-bearing and she didn't make wild accusations. However, she could be extremely…clinical. When having a _discussion_, she said things slowly and emphatically, like a therapist highlighting all the issues that need correcting and then going through all the steps needed to fix the problem.

Her speech slowly became a background noise for Zack. Not that he wasn't listening—another painful lesson he'd learned, to never completely tune out—but he allowed part of his mind to drift elsewhere. Such as to what was for dessert. Now, was it cake or pie that his mother said she had cooked? Zack would rather cake, but if so, then there _must _be ice cream to go along with it. Due to this preference, his mother had once told him that she would no longer bake cakes. But maybe, just maybe, tonight she had relented…

Aerith had stopped talking. Still keeping his head down, Zack figured that she had finally completed her twelve-step program on the merits of selling flowers and was getting ready to enjoy the silence when he heard a gasp. His eyes snapped across the table to her, who was sitting stiffly in her chair. She'd clasped her hands in front of her, her eyes wide and staring up at a force that was unseen to everyone but her. Tears welled and fell without her blinking to acknowledge their presence.

She clenched her fists tighter, crushing her own fingers. "It didn't work," she whispered, still without looking at anyone. She wasn't truly seeing with her eyes anyways but what she more or less felt inside. The Planet's Lifestream. "The operation failed. Sephiroth's dead."

They waited for her to divulge more information but Aerith only put her face in her hands and cried. Zack barely had time to even process the words before the phone rang, and he jumped up to answer it since he was closest. The moment he picked up the receiver, he could hear someone on the other end roughly clearing their throat and composing themselves. Zack already knew who it was.

"…Fair residence."

"Hey," Tseng said, and cleared his throat again. Zack could hear him sigh, a long, sorrowful breath that contained all of his disappointment, sadness, anger…everything that Zack hadn't even had time yet to similarly process. "Look, it all backfired with Seph and he didn't make it. He was actually in stable condition for a few days but everything took a nosedive. He died just this evening. I'd call Hojo a goddamn murderer but it's actually not all his fault."

Behind him, Zack could see his mother patting Aerith as she continued to cry at the table. His father had picked up Zackary, who had begun to cry at the sudden shift in the atmosphere and was trying to rock him to sleep. He took the cordless phone into his bedroom and closed the door, slumping against the surface. "Considering that it was Hojo wielding the scalpel, explain to me how it's not his fault."

"Doing the procedure in the first place is his fault," Tseng admitted. "Once you and Aerith called me in Mideel and told me that Sephiroth had contacted him, I knew it was ridiculous to go through with it. And frankly, I think that Hojo knew it was a lost cause too. But he got what the hell he wanted; Jenova. No sense in keeping the cells in a body that refused to actively use them and if it meant killing Sephiroth to get them, it was good riddance on Hojo's part. By this point, Sephiroth was useless to him."

Zack nodded to himself on the other end, sinking down against the door and resting an elbow on his knee. He'd actually given the benefit of the doubt to Hojo that he'd want to at least ensure Sephiroth's safety, if not for the sake that that was his son_, _at least because of him being his greatest achievement. But at that thought, Zack almost laughed. Sephiroth was a has-been. If he wasn't doing something for Hojo within the moment, his existence was pointless.

"Everything you've told me still sounds like Hojo willingly led Sephiroth to his demise," Zack told him, getting up from the floor to sit on the bed. He ran a hand through his hair, thinking hard. "Something's still not making sense here."

Tseng was quiet for a moment before responding with, "It's actually pretty obvious." There was no condescension behind the words. "Sephiroth knew he wasn't going to win against Jenova which is why he scheduled the operation. But he also knew that there was no way he could be separated from her; biologically, she was almost more of a mother to him than Lucrecia. Sephiroth was the one who chose this, knowing the outcome. He knew all along he was going to die."

"Bullshit," Zack interrupted. "Sephiroth wanted to live. Are you trying to say this was assisted suicide?" He bit his lip, willing the tears to stay put.

The Turk made a noise of agreement. "You could put it that way, yes. I'm not denying Sephiroth's will to live, but his life was never his. Sephiroth always belonged to someone." There was a brief pause, then Tseng said "A life under someone else's control isn't living. Sephiroth has his freedom now, whether we agree with his method or not. Truthfully, I can't wholly fault him."

Something tugged at Zack's mind, another feeling of déjà vu. This situation was highly familiar.

_Angeal. _

"Selfish," Zack muttered and this time, the tears fell.

"Maybe," Tseng said, now sounding extremely tired. "Who are we to judge though? And don't go giving me any of that 'a permanent solution to a temporary problem' crap either. Jenova isn't temporary."

Zack said nothing.

"Look, I've gotta go. Some of the Turks aren't handling the news so well and Shinra is having a shitstorm over all of this. I'll call you back later. But Zack? Don't do anything drastic or crazy. And listen to Aerith. She'll know how to handle this."

The line went dead and he sat there in the dark for several minutes, too numb to even press the end button on the phone, the dial tone flat-lining in his ear. When he finally did, he could hear it was quiet beyond the door. He pointlessly wiped his eyes, knowing they were still going to be puffy and red and opened the door.

His family had moved to the living room. His father still had the toddler, who had fallen asleep on his lap. His dad was still awake but looked like he was fighting the battle to doze off. Zack's mother sat next to Aerith, who had pulled a quilt from the back of the couch around her daughter in law. Aerith held a cup of steaming tea in her hands but wasn't drinking it. She looked up when Zack entered but didn't say anything.

"Just Tseng," he said, gesturing to the phone he'd just put back.

"Mm," Aerith nodded, still looking into the cup.

Zack was reminded of how he'd felt after losing his mentor, the weeks it'd taken for him to get back to a resemblance of normalcy. He couldn't imagine seeing Aerith like that for days on end. He immediately walked over to her and took the cup away, putting it on the coffee table. In the same motion, he pulled her to his feet and into a tight embrace. They met each other's eyes and she was surprised to find him smiling.

"Hey, no pity parties," he said quietly. "What do you think Sephiroth would say if he saw all of us like this?"

Aerith sniffed. "I already know. He's calling us a bunch of pussies."

The entire family chuckled.

Zack shook his head. "See? That bastard is laughing at us. In which I hope Angeal kicks his ass for me. Now they have all eternity to settle that legendary fight."

Aerith pulled away from him with a snort. "No, they're going to wait on Genesis. It wouldn't be the same without him."

He shrugged at this revelation. "Makes sense."

Feeling marginally better, they retired for the night, mentally preparing themselves to inform the rest of their friends tomorrow.

~.~.~

Hojo sat in his office, drumming his fingers on the desk. In front of him sat a small, industrialized glass container filled with mako. Within the mako floated several tiny organisms that pulsed and glowed. It was almost beautiful watching them, like fireflies. Except Hojo knew there was nothing beautiful or serene about Jenova.

Clearly, Shinra no longer thought so either. With the loss of Sephiroth, they were now threatening to remove him from his spot as head of the Science Department. Hojo had faced that threat several times before, but had always redeemed himself. Even after the Nibelheim incident, they had given him a pass as he had captured Cloud and Zack. And after they escaped, they were still alive and viable subjects. But now, it was almost like he'd been returned to the very beginning. He still held the biggest marvel in scientific history in his hands but unlike back in those early days, he now had no idea of what to use them for.

He'd briefly considered testing Jenova with animals but discarded the thought immediately. Animals were even less predictable, too unstable. And if that animal should happen to escape and something was to kill it, the cells would be lost to him forever. Thus he found that it _had _to be a human subject.

_Then again, humans aren't much better, _he thought, tapping Jenova's container. Her cells were eagerly drawn to the noise, crowding around his finger. _I almost lost Jenova when Sephiroth died. Knowing that son of mine, it was probably his plan, ending the cycle. Well, I'm not finished yet. There's still life in this old body yet. _

Jenova was still clustered around the face of the jar, hoping to find a new host to latch on to. It would've been all too easy to release the mechanized seal and stick his hand in. That power that his son had not been worthy of would be his and he could utilize it to its full potential. He was sure there was much more to Jenova than being a cosmic entity that only destroyed planets and he was determined to unlock that hidden mystery…

Hojo instantly pulled his hand back and Jenova almost reluctantly dispersed. No…he couldn't become the experiment. At his age, Jenova would wreak havoc on his body; he would probably die in minutes. So that again brought him back to the fact that he'd need someone else. The pickings though were slim.

He thumbed back through the files on his desk, dozens of pictures of SODIERs that he'd asked to be gathered as potential candidates. None of them particularly stuck out though and with little care, he swept the entire stack to the floor. He wasn't usually one for such uncouth actions but he felt better after having done it.

The pictures filtered to the ground, raining in shades of red, blue and black, the colors of the uniforms. One picture though happened to catch his eye and he snatched it back in his hand before it hit the floor. In the midst of stony faced military ID pictures, the ecstatic smile of Zack Fair begged to be noticed. Not unlike the person himself.

Regrettably, Hojo had allowed Zack to slip through his fingers and had no intentions any longer of using him as a host. For that matter, considering Zack Fair was no longer a member of the Shinra military, Hojo found it redundant that his picture had even been provided. Just as he was about to tear it up, he noticed that the top corner had a staple. Upon flipping the picture over, a small note had been handwritten as an attachment.

_Zack Fair, 24, pronounced Killed in Action to public in 20xx but was subject to Jenova testing. Escaped Nibelhiem lab, resides in Gongaga. Lives with mother, father and wife, Aerith Gainsborough Fair, whom is reported to be the last Cetra alive. Also has younger sibling, age three, by the name of Zackary Fair. _

After reading, Hojo felt a chill run down his spine. It was that moment just before a puzzle piece clicked into place, when he had a resolution or an answer on the cusp of his mind if only he could work out all the kinks. Here, he knew he had found what he was looking for but it was not the outcome he would've ever thought of.

The statement about Aerith marrying Zack wasn't new to him and of course he knew she was a Cetra. He'd dreamed multiple times of combining Jenova with her and here he sat now, trying to think of the exciting possibilities if he finally began that project. Such innovation hadn't been seen since Sephiroth's birth.

But he found himself not satisfied with this. There was another detail that was incessant in his mind and after another reading of the letter, he picked up on it.

Zackary Fair.

He tried to rationalize again that Aerith was the better choice but for every positive, there were too many negatives, the biggest one being that Cetra and Jenova were mortal enemies. While it was a fascinating thought in theory, the reality was that if he were to inject Jenova's cells into Aerith, she had a high risk of going mad or worse. However, the toddler was unrelated to the Ancient lineage and was still young enough to adapt to Jenova. Best yet, he didn't even have to bring the kid to the lab; he'd come to him.

A smile spread across Hojo's face as he began making preparations to pay a visit to Gongaga.

* * *

><p>I promise this time that this <em>will <em>be the final chapter. I apologize again for the massive time lapse but thank you to everyone that still stuck around :)


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